Aleksis Dreimanis
Encyclopedia
Aleksis Dreimanis was a Canadian Quaternary
geologist
. He was born in Valmiera
, Latvia
.
He first studied geology at the Institute of Palaeontology at the University of Latvia
in Riga
. In 1939, he worked as a lecturer at the University. As World War II
was being fought, he also took on the responsibility of consulting in Quaternary mapping in the Latvian Institute of Mineral Resources. He was conscripted into the Latvian Legion. After the war Dreimanis was appointed Associate Professor in the Baltic University
in the Displaced Persons camps at Hamburg
and Pinneberg
in Germany
.
In 1948, Dreimanis immigrated to Canada
to assume a lecturer position at the University of Western Ontario
in London, Ontario
. Several Canadian institutions called on him for his Quaternary expertise, including the Geological Survey of Canada, the Ontario Department of Mines, and the Ontario Department of Planning and Development for the St. Lawrence Seaway
Authority, the Thames River Conservation Authority
and various private companies. The university promoted him to Associate Professor in 1956, then to Professor in 1964. In 1980 the university gave made him an Emeritus Professor
. In the over 40 years with the university, he has produced over 200 papers, notes and abstracts in the field of Quaternary research.
Between 1974 and 1982, Dreimanis acted as an international advisor for several groups including; the Polish Academy of Sciences
, the Geological Survey of Finland, and the Ministry of Education in Finland.
Dreimanis maintained his link with Latvia. He made numerous visits as an invited lecturer to Riga, and to Tallinn
in Estonia
. He was a correspondent with the Dictionary of Latvian Technical Terminology from 1970 to 1986. He has been an associate editor of the Technical Review Journal (for Geology) from 1979. He served as Chairman of the Commission on Technical and Natural Sciences at the Latvian Cultural Foundation from 1973 to 1976.
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
geologist
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
. He was born in Valmiera
Valmiera
Valmiera is the largest city of the historical Vidzeme region, Latvia, with a total area of 18.1 km². It is the center of the Valmiera District. As of 2002, Valmiera had a population of 27,323, and in 2008 – 27,569....
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
.
He first studied geology at the Institute of Palaeontology at the University of Latvia
University of Latvia
University of Latvia is a university located in Riga, Latvia. Being established in 1919, University of Latvia is the biggest university in the Baltic states.-History:...
in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
. In 1939, he worked as a lecturer at the University. As World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was being fought, he also took on the responsibility of consulting in Quaternary mapping in the Latvian Institute of Mineral Resources. He was conscripted into the Latvian Legion. After the war Dreimanis was appointed Associate Professor in the Baltic University
Baltic University
The Baltic University in Exile was established in the displaced persons camps in Germany to educate refugees from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the aftermath of the Second World War....
in the Displaced Persons camps at Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and Pinneberg
Pinneberg
Pinneberg is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, capital of the district Pinneberg in Germany. The town has 42,301 inhabitants. Pinneberg is located 18 km northwest of Hamburg....
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
In 1948, Dreimanis immigrated to Canada
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...
to assume a lecturer position at the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
in London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
. Several Canadian institutions called on him for his Quaternary expertise, including the Geological Survey of Canada, the Ontario Department of Mines, and the Ontario Department of Planning and Development for the St. Lawrence Seaway
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
Authority, the Thames River Conservation Authority
Upper Thames River Conservation Authority
The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority is a body based in London, Ontario, Canada. It was created in 1947. It was responsible for the construction of the Fanshawe Dam, completed in the 1950s, to control flooding from the Thames River, which runs through London. During the last ice age, the...
and various private companies. The university promoted him to Associate Professor in 1956, then to Professor in 1964. In 1980 the university gave made him an Emeritus Professor
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
. In the over 40 years with the university, he has produced over 200 papers, notes and abstracts in the field of Quaternary research.
Between 1974 and 1982, Dreimanis acted as an international advisor for several groups including; the Polish Academy of Sciences
Polish Academy of Sciences
The Polish Academy of Sciences, headquartered in Warsaw, is one of two Polish institutions having the nature of an academy of sciences.-History:...
, the Geological Survey of Finland, and the Ministry of Education in Finland.
Dreimanis maintained his link with Latvia. He made numerous visits as an invited lecturer to Riga, and to Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. He was a correspondent with the Dictionary of Latvian Technical Terminology from 1970 to 1986. He has been an associate editor of the Technical Review Journal (for Geology) from 1979. He served as Chairman of the Commission on Technical and Natural Sciences at the Latvian Cultural Foundation from 1973 to 1976.
Roles and duties
- 1960, Delegate to the International Geological Congress
- 1965, 1969, 1973, 1977 and 1982, Canadian delegate to the International Quaternary Association (INQUA) Congresses
- 1965, Co-organised the INQUA Field Excursion in the Great Lakes-Ohio River Valley *1972, Co-organised the INQUA Field Excursion with the Montreal lGC
- President of the INQUA Commission on genesis and lithology of Quaternary deposits
- President of the INQUA Working Group on tills
- 1974-1984, Leader of the Canadian Working Group of the UNESCO-IUGS International Geological Correlation Project on Quaternary Glaciations of the Northern Hemisphere
- 1974-1980, Councillor for the American Quaternary Association
- 1975, helped organize the Royal Society of Canada's Conference on Glacial Till
- 1976-1978, Associate Editor for Geoscience Canada
- 1980-1982, President of the American Quaternary Association
- 1981-1987, Associate Editor for Quaternary Science Reviews
- 1987, made Honorary Member of INQUA
Awards
- 1967, awarded the Canadian Centennial Medal
- 1969, bestowed an honorary D.Sc. from the University of WaterlooUniversity of WaterlooThe University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
- 1978, awarded the Logan MedalLogan MedalThe Logan Medal is the highest award of the Geological Association of Canada. Named after Sir William Edmond Logan, noted 19th century Canadian geologist. It is presented annually to an individual for sustained distinguished achievement in Canadian earth science.-References:*...
by the Geological Association of CanadaGeological Association of CanadaThe Geological Association of Canada promotes and develops the geological sciences in Canada. The organization holds conferences, meetings and exhibitions for the discussion of geological problems and the exchange of views in matters related to geology... - 1979, appointed to 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...
- 1980, bestowed an honorary D.Sc. from the University of Western Ontario
- 1987, awarded the Distinguished Career Award by the Geological Society of AmericaGeological Society of AmericaThe Geological Society of America is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. The society was founded in New York in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hitchcock, John R. Proctor and Edward Orton and has been headquartered at 3300 Penrose...
- 1987, awarded the Centennial Medal by the Geological Survey of Finland
- 1988, awarded the Albrecht Penck Medal of the German Quaternary Association
- 1989, recipient of the W. A. Johnston Medal from the Canadian Quaternary Association
- 1990, made an Honorary Member of the Geographical Society of Latvia
- 1990, made a Foreign Member of the Latvian Academy of SciencesLatvian Academy of SciencesThe Academy of Sciences is the official science academy of Latvia and is an association of the country's foremost scientists. The academy was founded as the Latvian SSR Academy of Sciences . It is located in Riga...
- 1990, awarded the University of HelsinkiUniversity of HelsinkiThe University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
University of Helsinki Medal