Dr. Robert Raeside
Robert Raeside, PhD
Science Atlantic Outstanding Member, 2016
Membre exceptionnel 2016 de Science Atlantique
Biography
Dr. Robert Raeside (BSc, University of Aberdeen-Scotland; MSc, Queen’s University; PhD, University of Calgary) has been inducted into the Science Atlantic Hall of Fame as an Outstanding Member for 2016.
After completing his PhD in 1982, Dr. Raeside accepted a position as an assistant professor at Acadia University. Shortly after arriving at Acadia he became involved with the Geology division of APICS (now Science Atlantic). Unsure of what to expect of his new role, Rob recalls, “It didn’t take me long to realize that this is a very useful group and I quickly established a goal to use APICS to set up a network for geoscience communication across the Atlantic Region.”
Over the last 34 years, Rob has served as an APICS Geology (now Earth Science) Committee member (1984-1990) and Chair (2008-2012), and as Institutional Representative to the APICS/Science Atlantic Council (2005-2009), Chair (2010-2014), and Past Chair (2014-16).
Rob’s contributions to APICS/Science Atlantic extend far beyond his disciplinary-based affiliation as an earth scientist. In 2009, Dr. Raeside became Vice Chair of APICS and was rapidly catapulted into the Chair role in 2010 when the previous Chair accepted a position outside the region.
This marked the beginning of two consecutive two-year terms as Chair. During this time, Dr. Raeside skillfully guided the organization through its routine business matters with, in the words of one of his nominators, “a level of organization and efficiency that is remarkable.” In addition, he successfully led the organization through a significant re-branding and naming exercise, going from APICS to Science Atlantic.
He was also at the helm for the 50th Anniversary of APICS/Science Atlantic, which took place on April 27, 2012. The event was marked with a gala that included a reaffirmation of commitment to the organization by the participating institutions and the launch of the Science Atlantic Hall of Fame.
Rob considers the annual Science Atlantic student conferences as the most important projects undertaken by the organization. “The networks that those conferences build for students and for professors, are absolutely invaluable … the Atlantic Universities Geoscience Conference (AUGC) has continued to be a fundamental driver of my whole connection with Science Atlantic.”
Dr. Raeside believes that the courses he teaches and the students he interacts with are the most important part of his work. However, he has had many significant accomplishments over his career in addition to his contributions as a teacher. From his mapping of the Cape Breton Highlands, he has deciphered the tectonic development of Cape Breton Island as part of the Appalachian Mountains, and he has published on the geology of southern Nova Scotia and British Columbia. For the last 18 years, Dr. Raeside has been the co-ordinator and editor of the Mineralogical Association of Canada (MAC) Short Course series, editing and publishing about 10,000 pages in total. He has also been involved with both the Mineralogical and Geological associations of Canada, and has organized their joint conference on two separate occasions.
Rob has been recognized for his years of service in volunteering for many organizations. He has received the Leonard G. Berry Medal by Mineralogical Association of Canada (for his work as series editor of its Short Course series), the Geological Association of Canada Volunteer Award, and the Atlantic Geoscience Society Distinguished Service Award.
Outside his academic career, Rob is a Scottish country dancer and instructor, editor of an international flags website, and actively involved with his church.
We are pleased to recognize Dr. Robert Raeside as an Outstanding Member for his many years of service and extensive commitment and dedication to Science Atlantic and the larger scientific community.