The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) recently awarded top honours to two Memorial geographers.

Adjunct professor Dr. Don Forbes is the recipient of the 2014 Martin Bergmann Medal for Excellence in Arctic Leadership and Science; associate professor Dr. Rodolphe Devillers has been named a fellow of the society.

Established by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society in 2012, the Martin Bergmann Medal recognizes achievement for excellence in Arctic leadership and science. In announcing the award, the RCGS specifically highlighted Dr. Forbes' lifetime work in Arctic geography and his mentorship and leadership in community adaptation to climate change in coastal Arctic community.

“It’s a huge honour and highlights the importance of the work we are doing in the Arctic," said Dr. Forbes. "It’s especially touching to me because it’s in the memory of Martin Bergmann who was an inspiration for all engaged in Arctic research and a good friend. All the work we do in the Arctic is teamwork – done with students, colleagues, Northern residents and decision-makers, funded by ArcticNet and federal and territorial governments.” 

Mr. Bergmann was director of Natural Resources Canada’s Polar Continental Shelf program when he died in a plane crash at Resolute Bay in the high Arctic in 2011.

Dr. Forbes’ connection to Memorial goes back to 1981 when he was employed with the Geological Survey of Canada and initiated coastal geoscience monitoring in Newfoundland and Labrador. He has been an adjunct member of Memorial's Department of Geography for over a decade and is currently co-supervising four graduate students with colleague Dr. Trevor Bell.

In addition to his ongoing work with ArcticNet, Dr. Forbes is developing a circumpolar network that will link the globe’s Arctic communities together in order to build knowledge centres where information can be managed at the community level. To date, startup members include representatives from Eastern Russia, a small Sami fishing community in Norway, Nunavut, Nunatsiavut (Labrador) and Southern Greenland.

Among his many research interests, Dr. Devillers explores new geographic information sciences methods to help better understand and protect marine environments. He has been involved in the creation of the St. John’s Declaration, a national initiative aimed at advancing geographic education in Canada. He is also chair of the Newfoundland and Labrador branch of the Canadian Institute of Geomatics. He has been a member of Memorial’s Faculty of Arts since 2005.

"Becoming a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society is a real honour that both acknowledges some of my earlier work but mostly encourages me to keep promoting Canadian geography and geographic education in Canada and abroad," Dr. Devillers said. "We have an amazingly rich and diverse country that we need to better protect and promote.”

"This is an amazing achievement for two members of our department at very different stages of their academic careers,” said Dr. Charles Mather, head, Department of Geography. “While the Martin Bergmann Medal won by Don Forbes recognizes a lifetime of outstanding work in the Arctic, the nomination of Rodolphe Devillers recognizes a young academic who has already made a significant contribution to geographical research. This is an incredibly proud moment for the geography department at Memorial University: there are very few geography departments in Canada that can boast two RCGS awards in one year!”