VIU awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science degree to Canadian Forest Entomologist Dr. Crawford (Buzz) Holling at the convocation ceremony Friday, Jan. 30.
January 30, 2015 - 3:00pm
Vancouver Island University (VIU) bestowed its highest academic distinction upon one of Canada’s best known forest entomologists for his accomplishments and contributions in science.
Dr. C.S. (Buzz) Holling, who specializes in the scientific study of insects, received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree at VIU’s January convocation ceremony at the Port Theatre in Nanaimo on January 30, 2015.
Dr. Holling is a Professor in Ecological Sciences at the University of Florida. With an international reputation for his work in the management of natural resources, Dr. Holling has received many awards including being named Officer of the Order of Canada. His pioneering methods in adaptive ecosystem management paved the way for modern movements in sustainability and conservation.
“He was one of the first ecologists to recognize the connection between ecological and social systems,” says Liz Gillis, VIU professor in the department of Resource Management and Protection who nominated Dr. Holling for the Honorary Doctorate credential.
“Dr. Holling’s leadership in both academic research and social responsibility has had a global impact. His work is frequently cited in the fields of ecology, environmental management, ecological economics and the human dimensions of global change.”
Dr. Holling obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in 1957 at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
His public prominence dates from his work at UBC, where he became a professor of zoology in 1967 and served as Director of the Institute of Animal Resource Ecology from 1969 to 1973. He also served as Director of the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis in Vienna from 1981 to 1984.
In addition to being an Officer of the Order of Canada, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a foreign Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. His numerous awards and accolades include the Austrian Cross of Honour for Arts and Sciences.
VIU celebrated the achievements of over 650 graduates at winter convocation ceremonies on January 29 and 30. Degrees and certificates were conferred in a range of disciplines in the Faculties of Art and Humanities, Management, Social Sciences, Education, Health and Human Services, Science and Technology, and Trades and Applied Technology.
For a complete list of graduates, and to hear speeches by VIU’s honorary doctorate recipients and the new chancellor Louise Mandell, please visit www.viu.ca/convocation
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