Sir Malcolm McRae Burns (19 March 1910 – 17 October 1986) was a New Zealand agricultural scientist, university lecturer and administrator.
Early life, education, and family
Burns was born in
Ashley Bank
Ashley is a small town in North Canterbury, in the South Island of New Zealand. It used to have a railway station on the Main North Line that runs through the village.
Education
Ashley School is Ashley's only school, and was established in ...
,
North Canterbury
Canterbury ( mi, Waitaha) is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of
The region in its current fo ...
, on 19 March 1910, the son of Emily Burns (née Jeffrey) and John Edward Burns.
He was educated at
Rangiora High School
, motto_translation = Enlightenment with Friendship
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, and then studied at
Canterbury University College
The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was f ...
, graduating
Master of Science
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
in 1932.
He won a doctoral scholarship to the United Kingdom, and completed a
PhD, supervised by
Albert William Borthwick and
William Gammie Ogg
Sir William Gammie Ogg FRSE LLD (1891–1979) was a British horticultural scientist and Director of Rothamsted Experimental Station
Life
He was born at Craigbank Farm in Peterculter near Aberdeen on 2 November 1891 the son of James Ogg and his wif ...
, at the
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...
in 1934; the title of his thesis was ''A study of soil conditions and vegetation in certain selected areas of northeast Scotland with a view to their economic development''.
He then spent two years as a research fellow at
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
in upstate New York under the auspices of a Commonwealth Fund fellowship, during which time he met and married
Ruth Alvina Waugh.
The couple went on to have three children, including zoologist
Carolyn Burns
Dame Carolyn Waugh Burns (born 3 February 1942) is a New Zealand ecologist specialising in lakes. She is an emeritus professor at the University of Otago.
Early life, family, and education
Burns was born in Lincoln, New Zealand, the daughter ...
.
Academic career
Returning to New Zealand, Burns spent a short period as a plant physiologist at the
Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, abbreviated DSIR was the name of several British Empire organisations founded after the 1923 Imperial Conference to foster intra-Empire trade and development.
* Department of Scientific and Industria ...
, before joining
Canterbury Agricultural College
Lincoln University (Māori: ''Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki'') is a New Zealand university that was formed in 1990 when Lincoln College, Canterbury was made independent of the University of Canterbury. Founded in 1878, it is the oldest agricultur ...
in 1937 as a lecturer.
After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, he led the revival of
Association of University Staff of New Zealand
The Association of University Staff of New Zealand (AUS) was a national trade union in New Zealand. At its peak, it represented 6500 workers employed in New Zealand universities. In 2009 it merged with the Association of Staff in Tertiary Educat ...
(later
Association of Staff in Tertiary Education
The Association of Staff in Tertiary Education (ASTE) was a national trade union in New Zealand. In 2009 it merged with Association of University Staff (AUS) to become the New Zealand Tertiary Education Union Te Hautu Kahurangi o Aotearoa. ASTE ...
, now the
Tertiary Education Union
The New Zealand Tertiary Education Union (in Māori: Te Hautū Kahurangi o Aotearoa) is the main trade union in the New Zealand tertiary education sector, and represents the interests of more than 10,000 workers employed within the sector across ...
).
In 1952, he became director of the college, and in 1962, the institution was renamed Lincoln College, and Burns' title changed to principal.
Burns retired from Lincoln in 1974, and his legacy is that he gave it its strong research focus, which has gained international recognition.
In the same year, he was awarded an
honorary doctorate of science (DSc) from the
University of Canterbury
The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...
.
Honours and awards
In 1953, Burns was awarded the
Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal, and in 1977 he received the
Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal.
In the
1959 New Year Honours, Burns was appointed a
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
. He was promoted to Knight Commander of the same order, for outstanding services to the community, in the
1972 Queen's Birthday Honours.
Burns was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
in 1963.
He was also a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry, the New Zealand Institute of Agricultural Science, and the
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...
.
Death and legacy
Burns retired to
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
, where he died on 17 October 1986.
Lincoln became an independent university in 1990;
the Burns Wing on Lincoln's campus commemorates him.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burns, Malcolm McRae
1910 births
1986 deaths
People from North Canterbury
People educated at Rangiora High School
University of Canterbury alumni
Alumni of the University of Aberdeen
New Zealand soil scientists
People associated with Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (New Zealand)
Lincoln University (New Zealand) faculty
New Zealand trade unionists
Presidents of the Royal Society of New Zealand
New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand
Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Fellows of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry