Browse "Science & Technology"

Clifford Donald Wiens, architect, designer, teacher (born 27 April 1926 in Glenn Kerr, SK; died 25 January 2020 in Vancouver, BC). Clifford Wiens’s distinguished body of work reflects both corporate modern architecture and a broader expressionist movement. Wiens was known for his superb and inventive architectural and structural details, as well as for his simple but strong forms. His distinctive approach to structure and form was shaped by his relationship with the abstract painters in the Regina Five and his background in industrial design. Wiens won two Massey Awards and the Prix du XXe siècle from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. Following his death in 2020, the Globe and Mail called him Saskatchewan’s “leading architect of the postwar era.”

Cluny Macpherson, doctor, inventor, businessman, justice of the peace (b at St John's Mar 1879; d there 16 Nov 1966).

Crawford Stanley Holling, “Buzz,” OC, FRSC, ecologist (born 6 Dec 1930 in Theresa, New York; died 16 August 2019 in  Nanaimo, BC). One of the best-known Canadian forest entomologists, Holling gained international recognition for his work in the management of natural resources.

The Criddle family were naturalists known for detailed and long-term records of fauna and flora at Aweme (near Treesbank), Manitoba, starting with Percy's diaries kept since their arrival from England in 1882.

Cyril Harold Goulden, geneticist (b at Bridgend, Wales 2 June 1897; d at Ottawa 4 Feb 1981).

Dafydd (Dave) Rhys Williams, OC, OOnt, astronaut, aquanaut, scientist, pilot, physician, author (born 16 May 1954 in Saskatoon, SK). Dr. Dave Williams was a mission specialist on two NASA space shuttle missions and an aquanaut participating in undersea research. As a medical doctor and an astronaut, he contributed to vital life-science experiments focused on the effects of microgravity on the human brain and nervous system. (See also Canadian Space Agency.) He has served as a senior administrative officer at numerous medical institutions.

This article was originally published in Maclean’s magazine on April 13, 1998. Partner content is not updated.

David Arnold Keys, physicist (b at Toronto 4 Nov 1890; d at Ottawa 28 Oct 1977). He was a much-loved professor at McGill 1922-47 and thereafter the "mayor of Chalk River" - administrative manager of the Canadian atomic project. After research on antisubmarine warfare with J.C.

David Boyle, blacksmith, teacher, archaeologist, museologist, historian (b at Greenock, Scot 1 May 1842; d at Toronto, Ont 14 Feb 1911). Although apprenticed as a blacksmith on arriving in Canada in 1856, Boyle became internationally prominent as Canada's premier archaeologist before WWI.

David Douglas, botanist (b at Scone near Perth, Scotland 25 July 1799; d in Hawaii 12 July 1834). Douglas became an apprentice gardener at age 11; at 20 he moved to the Botanic Gardens, Glasgow, and at 23 became a collector for the Horticultural Society of London in North America.

David Ernest Hornell, VC, clerk, pilot (born 26 January 1910 in Toronto, Ontario; died 25 June 1944 at sea near the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean). During the Second World War, Hornell was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross (VC) for his heroic actions in sinking a German submarine and encouraging his crewmates after their plane was shot down. He was the first member of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) to receive the VC.

David Howard Harrison, physician, politician, farmer, businessman, premier of Manitoba (b at London, Canada W 1 June 1843; d at Vancouver 8 Sept 1905).

David Laurence Thomson Smith, veterinarian, teacher (b at Regina 18 Apr 1914; d at Saskatoon 15 Nov 1983). After serving in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps in WWII, he joined the faculty of the Ontario Veterinary College in 1946, and was head of pathology and bacteriology there 1955-63.

David Saint-Jacques, OC, OQ, astronaut, engineer, astrophysicist, medical doctor (born 6 January 1970, in Québec City, QC). Early in his career, Saint-Jacques contributed to advances in telescope technology in Japan and Hawaii, and medical technology at Lariboisière Hospital in Paris. (See also Astronomy; Medical Research; Technology in Canada.) He also worked as a doctor and co-chief of medicine at the Inuulitsivik Health Centre in Puvirnituq, Nunavik. In 2009, he was chosen by the Canadian Space Agency to become an astronaut. In 2018, he served on the International Space Station for 204 days, longer than any other Canadian astronaut.

David Takayoshi Suzuki, CC, OBC, geneticist, broadcaster, environmental activist (born 24 March 1936 in Vancouver, BC). A Japanese Canadian, David Suzuki was interned with his family during the Second World War. He later became one of Canada’s most popular scientists and media personalities. He is best known as the host (1979–2023) of the longest-running science show on television, CBC’s The Nature of Things, and for his work as an environmental activist. He has received ACTRA’s John Drainie Award for broadcasting excellence and the Canadian Screen Awards’ Lifetime Achievement Award. A Companion of the Order of Canada, he has also received the Order of British Columbia and been inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame.