Hall of Fame

Born: 20 September 1944, Kansas City, Missouri Died:  11 May 2020, Halifax, Nova Scotia  Field: Marine biology; Cephalopod physiology; Marine conservation As a faculty member in the Biology Department of Dalhousie University (1973 to 2015), Dr. Ron O’Dor had a distinguished career as an expert in the ecology, behavior and physiology of cephalopods (squid, octopi and cuttlefish). During his professional life, … Read More

    Born: 15 August 1923, Dovercourt, UK Died: 24 January 2010, Halifax, Nova Scotia Field: Marine Ecology     Dr. Mann was associated with the Zoology Department at Reading University (1954-1966) and his biological research soon led him to studies on aquatic ecosystems. He received a research grant to study the ecosystem energy-flow of the Thames River as a … Read More

  Born:             1890, Clarence, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia Died:              1964, Berkeley, California, USA Field:             Physicist     Foster was Professor of Physics at McGill University from 1924 to 1964, and Director of the Radiation Laboratory at that University from 1947 to 1960. The Laboratory was named after Dr. Foster after he retired. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada … Read More

    Born:             12 March 1835, Wallace, Nova Scotia Died:              11 July 1909, Washington, DC, USA Field:             Astronomer and Mathematician       Simon Newcomb was born at Wallace, Nova Scotia, son of John and Emily Newcomb. He went to the United States in 1853, and studied at the Laurence Scientific School at Harvard; he was awarded a B.Sc. in 1858. In 1861, … Read More

    Born:              2 May 1797, Cornwallis Township, Nova Scotia Died:              29 April 1864, Halifax, Nova Scotia Field:             Physician and Geologist Focus:            Discoverer of Kerosene     Abraham Pineo Gesner was born at Chipman’s corner, a farming community of about 100 people on the Cornwallis River in Kings County, NS, son … Read More

  Born:             ca 1780, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Died:              1861 Field:             Sea captain, inventor     Sea captain and considered to be the co-inventor of the marine screw propeller (this device may also have been developed concurrently in Europe), successfully testing a prototype in 1833. Discouraged from applying for a US patent, despite the advantage such a propeller gave over huge inefficient paddle-wheels, he … Read More

    Born:             28 October 1850, Halifax, Nova Scotia Died:             10 July 1907, Halifax, Nova Scotia Field:             Mining Engineering     Edwin Gilpin, the grandson of author Thomas Chandler Haliburton, was a mining engineer, Commissioner of Mines for Nova Scotia, and a prolific author of scientific reports and articles. Gilpin was an active member of the Nova … Read More

  Born:              1912, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Died:              1997 Field:             Biologist     Biologist who became a pioneer in electron microscopy at the Rockefeller Institute in New York. Obtained the first useful high-resolution pictures of intact cells of higher organisms. Published over 150 papers and a book on ultrastructure. Elected member of the U.S. National Academy of … Read More

  Born:             29 Apr 1904, Parrsboro, Nova Scotia Died:              6 Sep 1982, Halifax, Nova Scotia Field:             Oceanographer     As chairman of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada 1964–69, Hayes guided its expansion and increased links with the universities through grants and research collaboration. His book The Chaining of Prometheus (1973) explored the subordination of Canadian science to governmental administration. Trained as a zoologist and … Read More