Balfour Currie

2025-09-22T22:15:26Z

216.197.146.215: /* Recognition */

{{Short description|Canadian scientist (1902–1981)}}
{{Infobox scientist
|name = Balfour Watson Currie
|image = BalfourCurrie1.jpg
|image_size =
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|birth_date = {{birth date|1902|11|01}}
|birth_place = [[Helena, Montana|Helena]], [[Montana]]
|death_date = {{death date and age|1981|01|08|1902|11|01}}
|death_place = [[Saskatoon|Saskatoon, Saskatchewan]], Canada
|residence =
|citizenship =
|nationality =
|ethnicity =
|fields = [[meteorology]] and [[climatology]]
|thesis_title = Adsorption of ions at a water surface
|thesis_url = http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/-?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=93847&silo_library=GEN01
|thesis_year = 1930
|workplaces = [[University of Saskatchewan]]
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|awards = [[Order of Canada]]
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}}
'''Balfour Watson Currie''', {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|CC|FRSC}} (November 1, 1902 – January 8, 1981) was a [[Canadians|Canadian]] scientist specializing in the fields of [[meteorology]] and [[climatology]].

== Early life ==
Born in [[Montana]], he came to [[Saskatchewan]] at an early age. His parents moved to a farm homestead at Netherhill, near [[Kindersley]], in the west central region of the province. Because of his pioneer heritage, he was equally comfortable with internationally renowned scientists or with farmers in the field. He came to the [[University of Saskatchewan]] as a student and received a Bachelor-level degree in Physics (1925) and a Master-level degree in Physics (1927). His Ph.D. program at [[McGill University]] was completed in 1930.

== Career ==
He was a staff member of the Department of Physics at the [[University of Saskatchewan]] (1928 - 1981), was Professor of Physics (1943–70) Head of the Department (1952–61), founder of the Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies (1956–66), Dean of Graduate Studies (1959–70) and Vice-president, Research (1967–74). Upon his retirement as Vice-president, he was appointed by the President of the University to be Special Advisor in Research Matters (1974–78). Later in 1974, he became Canadian Coordinator of the International Magnetospheric Study, and gave it his fullest attention until its completion at the end of 1979. During this period, he also pursued an earlier research interest in the possible influence of solar activity on prairie weather and rainfall.

Early in his career, he spent two years in the Canadian Arctic. Currie and Frank Davies worked together at [[Chesterfield Inlet]] during the Second [[International Polar Year]] (1932-1933). An online archive of Currie's work on 2nd IPY studies of the Polar Year data continued under his direction at the [[University of Saskatchewan]] after World War II.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://scaa.usask.ca/gallery/northern/currie/|title=Balfour W. Currie - 2nd International Polar Year|last=|first=|date=2002|website=University of Saskatchewan Archives|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020728142918/http://scaa.usask.ca:80/gallery/northern/currie/ |archive-date=2002-07-28 |access-date=2020-01-05}}</ref>

== Recognition ==
In recognition of his outstanding contributions to his fields of study, he was elected a Fellow of the [[Royal Meteorology Society of Great Britain]] in 1940, and a Fellow of the [[Royal Society of Canada]] in 1947. In 1967, he received the [[Patterson Medal]] from the [[Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society]].<ref>{{cite web | language = fr, en
| author = Thomas Morley
| title = Les récipiendaires de la ''médaille John Patterson''
| publisher = [[Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society]]
| date = June 27, 2018
| url = http://cmosarchives.ca/Awards/Patterson/patterson.html
| archiveurl =https://web.archive.org/web/20180907080530/http://cmosarchives.ca/Awards/Patterson/patterson.html
| archivedate= September 7, 2018
| accessdate= November 10, 2018
}}.</ref> In 1972, he was made a Companion of the [[Order of Canada]] "for his services to science and education, especially in the fields of meteorology and climatology".<ref>{{OCC|1911}}</ref>

In 1977, he received an honorary Doctor of Science (space research) from [[York University]].

The University of Saskatchewan annually awards the prestigious Balfour Currie Memorial Scholarship, established by the Department of Physics and Engineering Physics in honour of Balfour Currie.

== Selected publications ==

* BW Currie, (1939) ''Earth Currents'', ''[[Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada]]'', Vol. 33, p. 313 [http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1939JRASC..33..313C&link_type=ARTICLE&db_key=AST scanned PDF]
* WD Penn and BW Currie (1949) ''A recording meter for auroral radiations'', ''[[Canadian Journal of Research]]'', Vol. 27A [http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=4431310 biblio. record]
* WG Kendrew, BW Currie (1955) '''The Climate of Central Canada''' (book) E. Cloutier, Queen's Printer
*BW Currie, (1955) ''Auroral Heights over Central-Western Canada'', ''[[Canadian Journal of Physics]]'' 33(12): 773-779

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1981JRASC..75..219K Obituary - Currie, Balfour-Watson 1902-1981] Obituary in The Journal of the Royal Astron. Soc. of Canada vol. 75 no. 5, p. 219, October 1981.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160303184311/http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/currie_balfour_watson_1902-81.html Biography in the Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080217205854/http://www.physics.uwo.ca/~drm/history/space/w_s01.html "How did we get here from there?" -- account of early atmospheric research at U.Sask. by Peter Forsyth]
*{{Canadian honour|Type=orc|ID=1911|accessdate=26 May 2010}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Currie, Balfour}}
[[Category:1902 births]]
[[Category:1981 deaths]]
[[Category:Canadian people of American descent]]
[[Category:Canadian climatologists]]
[[Category:Canadian meteorologists]]
[[Category:Canadian university and college faculty deans]]
[[Category:Canadian university and college vice-presidents]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of Canada]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the University of Saskatchewan]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Canadian Association of Physicists]]

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Balfour Currie