Donald G. Ivey (6 February 1922 - 25 June 2018) was the principal of the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

's New College from 1963 to 1974.

Career

After receiving his PhD in 1949, he joined the University of Toronto’s Department of Physics as Assistant Professor of Physics, becoming a full Professor in 1963. In collaboration with his colleague Patterson Hume, Ivey helped to steer the teaching of

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

in a new direction through the use of

educational television Educational television or learning television is the use of television programs in the field of distance education. It may be in the form of individual television programs or dedicated specialty channels that is often associated with cable telev ...

programs and movies. Hume and Ivey prepared and presented over one hundred television programs for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on various physics topics. Short films such as ''

Frames of Reference In physics and astronomy, a frame of reference (or reference frame) is an abstract coordinate system whose origin, orientation, and scale are specified by a set of reference points― geometric points whose position is identified both mathem ...

'' and the TV show ''

The Nature of Things ''The Nature of Things'' (also, ''The Nature of Things with David Suzuki'') is a Canadian television series of documentary programs. It debuted on CBC Television on 6 November 1960. Many of the programs document nature and the effect that hum ...

'' used humour and creative camerawork to make physics accessible to a wider range of students. Ivey was Principal of New College and Vice-President of the

. Upon his retirement, he was appointed Professor emeritus in 1987. He died on June 25, 2018. He received numerous awards throughout his career, including the Award of Honour from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

in 1965 and the

Robert A. Millikan award The Robert A. Millikan award is a medal given to individuals who provide notable contributions to the teaching of physics. The award was established in 1962 and is awarded by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT). The winner receives ...

from the

American Association of Physics Teachers The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) was founded in 1930 for the purpose of "dissemination of knowledge of physics, particularly by way of teaching." There are more than 10,000 members in over 30 countries. AAPT publications includ ...

for "notable and creative contributions to the teaching of physics" in 1987. For the education work he carried out with Hume, an asteroid (number 22415) was named HumeIvey in their honour.

References

Sources

Great Teachers from our Past
''University of Toronto''

External links

Download or watch online: Frames of Reference (1960)

On Beyond Darwin
by Patterson Hume * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ivey, Donald 1922 births Canadian education writers Canadian educators Canadian physicists Canadian television hosts Canadian textbook writers Canadian university and college vice-presidents People from Parkland Region, Manitoba University of Toronto alumni University of Toronto faculty 2018 deaths