Geological Association of Canada, Pacific Section Scholarship
Pacific Section Scholarship is awarded to an outstanding student intending to register in an undergraduate degree in Geoscience in the province of British Columbia. The award was established by the Pacific Section of the Geological Association of Canada in 1985 with proceeds from the Annual Geological Association of Canada - Mineralogical Association of Canada conference (GAC-MAC) hosted in Victoria in 1983.
It is unclear when the Pacific Section was initially established (previously called the Victoria Section). The small group kept a low profile until hosting the 1983 annual meeting. Today its activities include an annual symposium with varied geological topics applicable to the Pacific region; a fall field trip, usually in British Columbia or northwest USA; and monthly luncheon seminars dealing with a wide range of geological topics by guest speakers from across Canada and around the world. The section also participates in a wide range of social activities for members, their families and friends, including a picnic in honour of George Mercer Dawson, one of British Columbia's most famous founding explorers and geologists.
The parent body, the Geological Association of Canada (GAC) was spawned in December of 1947 at the 60th annual meeting of the Geological Society of America held at the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa. The first president of the Canadian chapter was Dr. J. Willis Ambrose, a geologist who worked in the Rouyn-Noranda gold belt for the Geological Survey of Canada between 1935 and 1945. The association had an initial membership of approximately 400 people. Today the GAC boasts a population numbering in the thousands. It consists of 9 divisions, 5 sections and 5 societies.
The Geological Association of Canada and the Pacific Section of the GAC are dedicated to the integration of all aspects of Geoscience. The Geological Association of Canada Scholarship is intended to assist and inspire a special student in pursuit of a Geoscience career.