John Willis Ambrose

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

(1911–1974) was the first President of the Geological Association of Canada in 1947.

Early life

Ambrose grew up in southwestern

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Education

Ambrose obtained a B.A. from Stanford University in 1932 and a Ph.D. from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

in 1935.

Career

Ambrose spent his career exploring geology in Canada. Between 1945 and 1948, he lived in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, but was a Special Lecturer at Queen's University in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between To ...

. In 1948, he moved to Kingston and joined Queen's full-time. He served as head of their geology department from 1962 until 1968. Ambrose retired in 1973.

Legacy

The Geological Association of Canada honours Ambrose annually by awarding the

Ambrose Medal The J. Willis Ambrose Medal is an award presented by the Geological Association of Canada, and is named after the association's first President, J. Willis Ambrose. It is awarded annually, unless no suitable candidate is identified, "to an individ ...

to an individual for sustained dedicated service to the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

earth science community.

References

A Brief History of Geology at Queen'sGeological Association of Canada Medals and Awards
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ambrose, J. Willis 1911 births 1974 deaths 20th-century Canadian geologists Queen's University at Kingston faculty Stanford University alumni Yale University alumni