Pierre Dansereau
Encyclopedia
Pierre Dansereau, was a Canadian
ecologist known as one of the "fathers of ecology".
), he received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (B.Sc.A.) in 1936 and a Ph.D. in Science in 1939 from the University of Geneva
. From 1939 until 1942 he worked at the Montreal Botanical Garden
. From 1943 until 1950 he taught at the Université de Montréal
. From 1950 until 1955 he worked at the University of Michigan
Botanical Gardens. From 1955 until 1961 he worked in the Faculty of Science and as the director of the Botanical Institute at the Université de Montréal. In 1961 he returned to the United States
as the assistant director of the New York Botanical Garden
and as a professor of botany and geography at the Columbia University
. From 1972 until 1976 he was the Director of the Research Centre for Sciences and the Environment at the Université du Québec à Montréal
(UQAM). In 1988 he was made a Professor Emeritus at UQAM, but he still worked there after mandatory retirement (in 1976, at 65 years old) to year 2004, aged 93.
He was the subject of a 2001 documentary An Ecology of Hope by his cousin, Quebec filmmaker Fernand Dansereau
.
On September 28, 2011, Pierre Dansereau died, one week before his 100th birthday, after 76 years of marriage, and three months after his wife (a painter) became a centenarian — they had no children.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
ecologist known as one of the "fathers of ecology".
Biography
Born in Outremont, Quebec (now part of MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
), he received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (B.Sc.A.) in 1936 and a Ph.D. in Science in 1939 from the University of Geneva
University of Geneva
The University of Geneva is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland.It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin, as a theological seminary and law school. It remained focused on theology until the 17th century, when it became a center for Enlightenment scholarship. In 1873, it...
. From 1939 until 1942 he worked at the Montreal Botanical Garden
Jardin botanique de Montréal
The Montreal Botanical Garden is a large botanical garden in Montreal, Quebec, Canada comprising of thematic gardens and greenhouses. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2008 as it is considered to be one of the most important botanical gardens in the world due to the extent...
. From 1943 until 1950 he taught at the Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
. From 1950 until 1955 he worked at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Botanical Gardens. From 1955 until 1961 he worked in the Faculty of Science and as the director of the Botanical Institute at the Université de Montréal. In 1961 he returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as the assistant director of the New York Botanical Garden
New York Botanical Garden
- See also :* Education in New York City* List of botanical gardens in the United States* List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City- External links :* official website** blog*...
and as a professor of botany and geography at the Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. From 1972 until 1976 he was the Director of the Research Centre for Sciences and the Environment at the Université du Québec à Montréal
Université du Québec à Montréal
The Université du Québec à Montréal is one of four universities in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Basic facts:The UQAM is the largest constituent element of the Université du Québec , a public university system with other branches in Gatineau , Rimouski, Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec City, Chicoutimi, and...
(UQAM). In 1988 he was made a Professor Emeritus at UQAM, but he still worked there after mandatory retirement (in 1976, at 65 years old) to year 2004, aged 93.
He was the subject of a 2001 documentary An Ecology of Hope by his cousin, Quebec filmmaker Fernand Dansereau
Fernand Dansereau
Fernand Dansereau is a Canadian film director and film producer.-Biography:After five years working as a reporter for the Montreal daily Le Devoir, Dansereau joined the NFB in 1955. He was a founding member of the NFB's French Unit and until 1960, he wrote and directed several feature films and...
.
On September 28, 2011, Pierre Dansereau died, one week before his 100th birthday, after 76 years of marriage, and three months after his wife (a painter) became a centenarian — they had no children.
Honours
- 1949 - Made a Fellow of the Royal Society of CanadaRoyal Society of CanadaThe Royal Society of Canada , may also operate under the more descriptive name RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada , is the oldest association of scientists and scholars in Canada...
(MSRC) - 1959 - Awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of SaskatchewanUniversity of SaskatchewanThe University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
- 1969 - Made a Companion of the Order of CanadaOrder of CanadaThe Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
- 1972 - Delivered the Massey Lecture
- 1973 - Awarded the Royal Canadian Geographical Society'sRoyal Canadian Geographical SocietyThe Royal Canadian Geographical Society is a Canadian non-profit educational organization dedicated to imparting a broader knowledge and deeper appreciation of Canada — its people and places, its natural and cultural heritage and its environmental, social and economic challenges.-History:The...
Massey MedalMassey MedalThe Royal Canadian Geographical Society awards the Massey Medal annually to recognize outstanding personal achievement in the exploration, development or description of the geography of Canada. The award was established in 1959, by the Massey Foundation, named for industrialist Hart... - 1974 - Won the Molson PrizeMolson PrizeThe Thomas Henry Pentland Molson Prize for the Arts is awarded by The Canada Council for the Arts. Two prizes are awarded annually to distinguished individuals. One prize is awarded in the arts, one in the social sciences and humanities...
- 1983 - Awarded the Université de SherbrookeUniversité de SherbrookeThe Université de Sherbrooke is a large university with campuses located in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada and Longueuil, a suburb of Montreal approximately west of Sherbrooke. It is one of two universities, and the only French language university, in the Estrie region of Quebec.In 2007, the...
's prix Esdras-Minville - 1983 - Won the Government of Quebec's Prix Marie-VictorinPrix Marie-VictorinThe Prix Marie-Victorin is an award by the Government of Quebec that is part of the Prix du Québec, which "goes to researchers in the pure and applied sciences whose work lies in fields outside biomedicine. These fields include the natural and physical sciences, engineering, and technology, and the...
- 1985 - Made a Knight of the National Order of QuebecNational Order of QuebecThe National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as l'Ordre national du Québec, and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec...
; promoted to Grand Officer in 1992 - 1985 - Awarded the Canada Council for the Arts' Killam Prize
- 1995 - Awarded the Royal Society of Canada's Sir John William Dawson MedalSir John William Dawson MedalThe Sir John William Dawson Medal is an award of the Royal Society of Canada, established in 1985 and named after the society's first president: John William Dawson...
- 2001 - Inducted into the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of FameCanadian Science and Engineering Hall of FameThe Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame, located at the at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa, Ontario, honours Canadians who have made outstanding contributions to society in science and engineering. It also promotes role models to encourage young Canadians to pursue...
External links
- Pierre Dansereau at The Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian Encyclopedia is a source of information on Canada. It is available online, at no cost. The Canadian Encyclopedia is available in both English and French and includes some 14,000 articles in each language on a wide variety of subjects including history, popular culture, events, people,...
- Audio interview with Pierre Dansereau on Les années lumière
- 'Barefoot ecologist' got up close to nature Toronto Globe and Mail obituary