Aleksis Dreimanis

Aleksis Dreimanis (born August 13, 1914 in Riga ; † July 8, 2011 in London , Ontario ) was a Latvian geologist who was a university lecturer in Canada, particularly concerned with Quaternary geology .

Life

After studying geology at the University of Latvia in Riga , Dreimanis became a lecturer there in 1939 . During the Second World War he was also the consultant responsible for Quaternary Geological mapping at the Latvian Institute for Mineral Resources and also did voluntary service in the Latvian Legion, a Latvian SS association . After the war he became an associate professor of Baltic University in the displaced persons - camps in Hamburg and Pinneberg .

1948 was made emigration of Dreimanis to Canada, where he took a position as a lecturer at the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Western Ontario in. In the following years he also wrote reports on Quaternary geological topics for numerous institutions such as the Geological Survey of Canada, the Ontario Mining Authority, the Ontario Planning and Development Office, the St. Lawrence River Administration Authority, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority and other private companies. After he became associate professor in 1956, he took a professorship at the Department of Geosciences at the University of Western Ontario in 1964 and taught there until his retirement in 1980. During his teaching there, he dealt in particular with Quaternary geology and became an international one recognized specialist in glacial deposits in Canada.

In addition, he cultivated his relations with Latvia and other Eastern European countries and was not only a corresponding member for the publication of the Latvian dictionary of technical terms from 1970 to 1986, but also chairman of the commission for technical and natural sciences of the Latvian Cultural Foundation between 1973 and 1976. In addition, between 1974 and 1982 he was an international advisor to Polska Akademia Nauk .

For his scientific merits he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Waterloo (1969), University of Western Ontario (1980) and the University of Latvia. In addition, he was awarded the Three Star Order of Latvia in 2003 for his services to Latvian science and culture . In 1988 he received the Albrecht Penck Medal .

Publications

Dreimanis published the results of his research in more than 200 articles in specialist journals , with his last article being written in 2009 at the age of 95. His most famous publications include:

• Dati par dažiem Rūjienas apkārtnes drumliniem = About some drumlins near Rūjiena in Latvia . In: Daba un Zinätne . 1938, No. 1
• Kūdras starpslānis leduslaikmeta slokšnu mālos Biržu pagast Audzēs = A layer of peat in late glacial band clay near Biržu Audzes in Latvia , 1939
• Abies and fagus pollen in Quaternary deposits in Latvia . In: Contributions of Baltic University , 1947, No. 28
• Debris accumulations south of Roja in Latvia = Accumulations of erratic boulders in Latvia South of Roja . In: Contributions of Baltic University , 1947, No. 56

Web links

• Literature by and about Aleksis Dreimanis in the catalog of the German National Library
• THE GLOBE AND MAIL (obituary, July 12, 2011)