The following account was submitted to YFile by Dean of Pure & Applied Science Gillian Wu.
Doug Smylie, left, a retired York professor in Earth and Atmospheric Science, has been awarded the 2002 J. Tuzo Wilson Medal (below, right) by the Canadian Geophysical Union. In the citation it says: “… a distinguished academic career that has spanned nearly 40 years. Doug has worked on an impressive range of problems, but is probably best known for his work on core dynamics. Doug, his co-workers and graduate students have been so prominent in this field that European geophysicists joke that the core is a Canadian colony…”
It is a great honour to receive the J. Tuzo Wilson Medal. Congratulations Doug, and congratulations to his colleagues who made it possible for him to carry out his studies.
J. Tuzo Wilson (1908-1993), left, was a geophysicist, associated with the Ontario Science Centre and at the time, the only Canadian foreign member of the (US) National Academy of Sciences. He made major contributions to the development of the plate-tectonics theory in the 1960s and 1970s. He remained a dominant force in the Canadian scientific scene until his death.
The Canadian Geophysical Union gives the J. Tuzo Wilson Medal annually to recognize scientists who make outstanding contributions to Canadian geophysics. Factors taken into account in the selection process include excellence in scientific or technical research, instrument development, industrial applications and/or teaching.
