Carleton professors Christopher Burn and Iain Wallace were awarded the 2014 Camsell medals on Nov. 19 by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS).
The Camsell medal is awarded to up to two individuals a year who have contributed substantially to the society, and is named after the RCGS founder, Charles Camsell.
“It’s the greatest honour,” Burn said. “Not only because of what the medal means, but also because I was presented it by [Camsell’s granddaughter], which represents the continued interest of the family of the man who started the whole thing up.”
Wallace said his interest in geography started with his family.
“My father was a high school geography teacher, so I grew up in a house of maps,” he said. “It was my favourite subject, and I ended up getting a bachelor’s degree, and after completing my PhD. I got a job at Carleton, where I stayed.”
According to Wallace, geography’s ability to provide context is crucial.
“With geography, you can see where you are and how it fits into a broader pattern, it’s really fundamental to a sense of proportion,” he said. “You start to see the world is very interconnected, and is very relevant to the economy, people, and environment.”
Wallace taught at Carleton for more than 41 years, retiring in 2011. He started with RCGS around 1980, first serving on the editorial committee for what is now known as Canadian Geographic Magazine.
“The committee helps brainstorm story ideas for the magazine, and advised the editor,” Wallace said. “We also did a look at the magazine post-mortem, sharing what was done well and what could be improved.”
He also served on various other committees, such as the research and grants committee, which gives grants to student research.
“The society was started in 1929 to increase the knowledge of Canadian geography,” said Wallace. “It started with the magazine and has expanded its support for various expeditions. More recently, they were involved in the search for the Franklin ship.”
Burn said geography is important because of its relationship to society.
“It’s the only discipline that really investigates people, [society] and the environment,” he said. “It tries to understand the relationship between the bio-physical world and humans.”
Burn has taught at Carleton since 1992 and teaches various physical geography courses, including the fourth-year course on permafrost.
He became involved in the RCGS in approximately 1996, where he served on various committees. In 2000 he was elected to the board of governors of the society and in 2004 became one of the vice-presidents, stepping down in 2009.
