The Howard Street Robinson Medal recognizes respected and well-spoken geoscientists who have made exceptional contributions towards the scientific study of Precambrian geology and or metal mining through a presentation of a distinguished lecture series across Canada. The medalist is selected by the Howard Street Robinson Committee and the Executive of the Division sponsoring the tour – the Mineral Deposits Division or the Precambrian Division on an alternating annual basis. These talks are some of the highlights in the geoscience departments across the country and an excellent opportunity for students to hear from some of the most prominent researchers in Precambrian geology in Canada.
We are now accepting nominations for the 2020-21 Howard Street Robinson speaker tour.
Click here to download the nomination package.
Past Recipients of the Howard Street Robinson Medal from the Precambrian Division
2018 – Dr. Derek Thorkelson
Citation by Deanne van Rooyen (Precambrian Division Chair):
The Howard Street Robinson Medal of the Geological Association of Canada is awarded annually to meet the bequest of the Howard Street Robinson Fund, which was “for the furtherance of scientific study of Precambrian Geology and Metal Mining”.
The Robinson Medal recognizes respected and well-spoken geoscientists who have made exceptional contributions towards the scientific study of Precambrian geology and or metal mining through a presentation of a distinguished lecture series across Canada. The medalist is selected by the Howard Street Robinson Committee and the Executive of the Division sponsoring the tour – the Mineral Deposits Division or the Precambrian Division on an alternating annual basis.
The Precambrian Division is extremely proud to present the 2018-2019 Robinson Medal to Dr. Derek Thorkelson, from Simon Fraser University, for his lecture tour, but more importantly in recognition of his invaluable contribution to the understanding of the Precambrian geology through the study of tectonic evolution of Northwestern Laurentia.
I’m going to read a few excerpts from Dr. Rob Rainbird’s nomination letter for the HSR medal:
“It is my great pleasure to nominate Dr. Derek J. Thorkelson for the Howard Street Robinson Medal of the Geological Association of Canada. I have known Derek since he was a graduate student at Carleton University in the 1990s. Since then, he has become a leader in the field of Precambrian geology in the Canadian Cordillera. His work has unravelled a rich and complex geological history spanning a quarter of Earth’s history, from the Paleoproterozoic to the Cambrian. His contributions from field and laboratory research have influenced geologists in Canada and around the world, in both academe and industry. Dr. Thorkelson’s dedication to field geology, coupled with expertise in petrology, geochemistry and geochronology, have facilitated his rise as a major authority on the evolution of western Laurentia and its role in Precambrian tectonics and continental reconstructions.
Dr. Thorkelson received BSc and MSc degrees from U.B.C. (1983 and 1986) and a PhD from Carleton University in 1992. He began working on Precambrian geology in 1992 as a founding member of the Canada/Yukon Geoscience Office (now the Yukon Geological Survey). He carried out an intensive mapping program over three years in the rugged and remote Wernecke Mountains of northern Yukon. Dr. Thorkelson accepted a faculty position at Simon Fraser University and, as founding member, helped to build a new program, which blossomed into the Department of Earth Sciences. Building on his experience as a geological mapper, he initiated a program of student research into the Precambrian of Yukon, spanning a vast area in the Wernecke, Ogilvie and Richardson mountains. Specific contributions include a completely new model of the Racklan orogen, the characterization and interpretation of the Wernecke Breccias and Slab Volcanics in them and their correlation with units in the Gawler Craton, an important link between Australia and Laurentia and the more general history of Northwestern Laurentia.
Dr. Thorkelson is an outstanding scientist whose passion for field geology and targeted laboratory studies have led to a series of major advances in the Precambrian of western Laurentia. His work will leave an enduring mark on our understanding of the Precambrian geology of Canada and for that he is highly deserving of the Howard Street Robinson Medal.”
2016 – Dr. Rebecca Jamieson
Citation by Deanne van Rooyen (Precambrian Division Chair):
The Howard Street Robinson Medal of the Geological Association of Canada is awarded annually to meet the bequest of the Howard Street Robinson Fund, which was “for the furtherance of scientific study of Precambrian Geology and Metal Mining”.
The Robinson Medal recognizes respected and well-spoken geoscientists who have made exceptional contributions towards the scientific study of Precambrian geology and or metal mining through a presentation of a distinguished lecture series across Canada. The medalist is selected by the Howard Street Robinson Committee and the Executive of the Division sponsoring the tour – the Mineral Deposits Division or the Precambrian Division on an alternating annual basis.
The 2016-2017 Robinson Lecturer could not have been more deserving of this recognition. The Precambrian Division is extremely proud to present the 2016-2017 Robinson Medal to Dr. Becky Jamieson, from Dalhousie University, for her lecture tour, but more importantly in recognition of her invaluable contribution to the understanding of the Precambrian geology through the study of tectonic and metamorphic processes that operate in orogenic belts.
Her field- and laboratory-based research has given us a window into crustal processes that are fundamental to understanding the evolution of orogenic belts worldwide. Becky’s contributions include an extensive list of major papers, reports, and maps that span multiple decades and orogenic belts the world over. Her contributions to geoscience as a mentor and teacher are remarkable, her students can be found in all areas of geoscience. It is a special privilege to be able to present this medal in a Special Session filled with so many colleagues and students gathered to honour Becky’s work.
On behalf of the Precambrian Division and the Howard Street Robinson Fund Committee, it is my pleasure to hand Dr. Jamieson her Robinson Medal.