Professor L.C. Coleman makes presentation to Dr. Balfour W. Currie, retiring Dean of Graduate Studies and Professor of Physics.

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. Balfour Watson Currie was born in 1902 in Montana and grew up at Netherhill, near Kindersley. 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). Dr. Currie’s Ph.D. program at McGill University was completed in 1930. He was a staff member of the Department of Physics at the U of S (1928-1981), was Professor of Physics (1943-1970), Head of the Department (1952-1961), founder of the Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies (1956-1966), Dean of Graduate Studies (1959-1970) and Vice-president, Research (1967-1974). Early in Dr. Currie’s career, he spent two years in the Canadian Arctic. He 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 U of S after World War II. Upon his retirement as vice-president, he was appointed by the President of the University to be Special Advisor in Research Matters (1974-1978). 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 Dr. Currie also pursued an earlier research interest in the possible influence of solar activity on prairie weather and rainfall. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to his fields of study, Dr. Currie 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. Dr. Currie retired from the U of S in 1970. 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". He was awarded an honourary Doctor of Laws degree from the U of S in 1975. Dr. Currie died in Saskatoon in 1981.

Elevated view of construction of Education Building; three cranes in background. Parked cars and road in foreground.

Bio/Historical Note: Upon completion in 1970, the Education Building contained seven standard classrooms as well as a number of special classrooms. The standard classrooms were built to accommodate 30 to 35 students and were designed to convert easily into two seminar rooms, or be combined with adjacent classrooms to form larger ones. The special rooms varied in size and included two large 100 seat classrooms, an intermediate size classroom accommodating 70 students, a social studies classroom for 32 to 36 people, a primary room and two mathematics classrooms of the same size, 16 seminar rooms seating 18 and a lecture theatre seating 325. A Science Instruction Centre in the building provides instruction in Methodology and subject matter in the fields of General Science, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Included in the unit were two General Science laboratory-classrooms, a Physics and Chemistry laboratory-classroom, and a Biology laboratory-classroom, each with an intended capacity of 30 to 35 students. A Physical Education Centre is also located in the building. It consists of a 120' x 100' gymnasium with bleacher seating for 400 to 500 spectators, a 75' x 44' swimming pool, an equipment room, and men’s and women’s shower and locker rooms. The Instructional Resources Centre contains a Reserve Library initially of 10,000 volumes with study space for 400 students, a curriculum library of 2,000 volumes with study space for 300 students, and an Instructional Resources laboratory. The Education Television Centre in the building includes two small production studios, a conference room, a photographic dark room and laboratory, a large storage room, a graphic arts area and a mobile production unit garage. The Television Centre was initially meant to provide a central facility for the production of University programs “until such time as a separate facility for this purpose can be constructed”. Renovations to the building to accommodate the Music Department were completed prior to 1978 for $730,000. The renovations were designed by architects Forrester, Scott, Bowers, Cooper, and Walls. Tenders for the project were received on April 4, 1975 at which time the contract was awarded to Shoquist Construction. Renovations to the building envelope were completed in 1986 by R & D Construction for $325,918, and were designed by the architectural firm of Scott Bowers. A building envelope is and includes everything that separates the interior of a building from the outdoor environment, including the windows, walls, foundation, basement slab, ceiling, roof, and insulation. In 1990 further renovations to the building were completed by Inter-City Mechanical for $144,686.

Ken Paulson, Professor of Physics, at the controls of a digital field seismograph.

Bio/Historical Note: Kenneth V. Paulson was born in 1933 in Mozart, Saskatchewan, during the depths of the Depression. With the support of his teachers and his siblings and his own efforts (including working the midnight shift as a telegrapher while being a fulltime student during the day) he achieved a BSc, MSc and PhD which led to a career as a Physics professor at the University of Saskatchewan. Paulson died in 2019 at age 86.

Head and shoulders image of Dr. Alister Vallance Jones, professor of Physics, 1953-1968.

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. Alister Vallance Jones was born in 1924 in Christchurch, New Zealand. He attended the University of Canterbury (NZ) and earned his PhD in physics at Cambridge. Jones was a professor of Physics from 1953-1968 at the University of Saskatchewan, specializing in upper atmospheric physics. Jones died in 2015 in Ottawa at age 91.

J. Bergsteinsson with a [field mill] for studying electric fields in the atmosphere.

Bio/Historical Note: The Institute of Upper Atmospheric Studies (also called the Institute of Upper Atmospheric Physics) was a graduate school at the University of Saskatchewan.

Progress shot of Education Building under construction.

Bio/Historical Note: Upon completion in 1970, the Education Building contained seven standard classrooms as well as a number of special classrooms. The standard classrooms were built to accommodate 30 to 35 students and were designed to convert easily into two seminar rooms, or be combined with adjacent classrooms to form larger ones. The special rooms varied in size and included two large 100 seat classrooms, an intermediate size classroom accommodating 70 students, a social studies classroom for 32 to 36 people, a primary room and two mathematics classrooms of the same size, 16 seminar rooms seating 18 and a lecture theatre seating 325. A Science Instruction Centre in the building provides instruction in Methodology and subject matter in the fields of General Science, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Included in the unit were two General Science laboratory-classrooms, a Physics and Chemistry laboratory-classroom, and a Biology laboratory-classroom, each with an intended capacity of 30 to 35 students. A Physical Education Centre is also located in the building. It consists of a 120' x 100' gymnasium with bleacher seating for 400 to 500 spectators, a 75' x 44' swimming pool, an equipment room, and men’s and women’s shower and locker rooms. The Instructional Resources Centre contains a Reserve Library initially of 10,000 volumes with study space for 400 students, a curriculum library of 2,000 volumes with study space for 300 students, and an Instructional Resources laboratory. The Education Television Centre in the building includes two small production studios, a conference room, a photographic dark room and laboratory, a large storage room, a graphic arts area and a mobile production unit garage. The Television Centre was initially meant to provide a central facility for the production of University programs “until such time as a separate facility for this purpose can be constructed”. Renovations to the building to accommodate the Music Department were completed prior to 1978 for $730,000. The renovations were designed by architects Forrester, Scott, Bowers, Cooper, and Walls. Tenders for the project were received on April 4, 1975 at which time the contract was awarded to Shoquist Construction. Renovations to the building envelope were completed in 1986 by R & D Construction for $325,918, and were designed by the architectural firm of Scott Bowers. A building envelope is and includes everything that separates the interior of a building from the outdoor environment, including the windows, walls, foundation, basement slab, ceiling, roof, and insulation. In 1990 further renovations to the building were completed by Inter-City Mechanical for $144,686.

Students seated in desks listen to an instructor in tiered lecture theatre in Physics; instructor is standing at front. View from back of classroom looking towards instructor.

Bio/Historical Note: A proper addition to the Physics Building was finally completed in 1967 by W.C. Wells Construction for $2,029,876. The Physics Building Addition, designed by Kerr, Cullingworth, Riches and Associates, was initially meant to accommodate a student body of 8,000 for a cost of $750,000. However, the growing demands of the Department during the planning stages led to a drastic increase in the scope of the project. Upon completion the Addition added 36,000 square feet of accommodation to the existing 49,000 in the original Physics Building; the foundations and support columns of the Addition are also designed to support an additional two storeys to the building in future expansions. The basement of the Addition originally housed 20 undergraduate laboratories, each with a proposed capacity of 20 students, four advanced undergraduate labs specializing in Modern Physics, Electronics, Optics and 4th Year studies, and research laboratories for masters and doctoral candidates. As well, main machine, woodworking, students’ and electronic workshops were contained here, as was most of the office space. The building also contained two large lecture theatres and classroom space to accommodate 450 to 500 students. The Addition was restricted to two-storeys so as not to cast shadows on the Biology greenhouses to the north. The exterior of the building was sheathed in greystone, with Tyndall limestone used as window trim, door and window mullions, and as mirror wall panels. Grey slate was used in canopy facings, and in steps and the thresholds to entrances.

View looking northwest of the Physics Building; flowers and landscaping in foreground.

Dr. Leon Katz and class in a lecture theatre in the new Physics addition.

Bio/Historical Note: The Physics Building Addition, designed by Kerr, Cullingworth, Riches and Associates, was initially meant to accommodate a student body of 8,000 for a cost of $750,000. However, the growing demands of the Department during the planning stages led to a drastic increase in the scope of the project. Upon completion the Addition added 36,000 square feet of accommodation to the existing 49,000 in the original Physics Building; the foundations and support columns of the Addition are also designed to support an additional two storeys to the building in future expansions. The basement of the Addition originally housed 20 undergraduate laboratories, each with a proposed capacity of 20 students, four advanced undergraduate labs specializing in Modern Physics, Electronics, Optics and 4th Year studies, and research laboratories for masters and doctoral candidates. As well, main machine, woodworking, students’ and electronic workshops were contained here, as was most of the office space. The building also contained two large lecture theatres and classroom space to accommodate 450 to 500 students. The Addition was restricted to two-storeys so as not to cast shadows on the Biology greenhouses to the north. The exterior of the building was sheathed in greystone, with Tyndall limestone used as window trim, door and window mullions, and as mirror wall panels. Grey slate was used in canopy facings, and in steps and the thresholds to entrances.

Dr. John B. Gregory, professor of Physics and senior member of the Atmospheric Monitoring group, standing in front of radio wave monitoring equipment at unidentified location.

Students in elementary laboratory in new Physics addition.

Bio/Historical Note: The Physics Building Addition, designed by Kerr, Cullingworth, Riches and Associates, was initially meant to accommodate a student body of 8,000 for a cost of $750,000. However, the growing demands of the Department during the planning stages led to a drastic increase in the scope of the project. Upon completion the Addition added 36,000 square feet of accommodation to the existing 49,000 in the original Physics Building; the foundations and support columns of the Addition are also designed to support an additional two storeys to the building in future expansions. The basement of the Addition originally housed 20 undergraduate laboratories, each with a proposed capacity of 20 students, four advanced undergraduate labs specializing in Modern Physics, Electronics, Optics and 4th Year studies, and research laboratories for masters and doctoral candidates. As well, main machine, woodworking, students’ and electronic workshops were contained here, as was most of the office space. The building also contained two large lecture theatres and classroom space to accommodate 450 to 500 students. The Addition was restricted to two-storeys so as not to cast shadows on the Biology greenhouses to the north. The exterior of the building was sheathed in greystone, with Tyndall limestone used as window trim, door and window mullions, and as mirror wall panels. Grey slate was used in canopy facings, and in steps and the thresholds to entrances.

[Staff] at work in machine shop in the new Physics addition.

Bio/Historical Note: During the 1946-1947 academic term a Physics Annex was "constructed" on campus at a cost of $46,000. Built initially to accommodate the Betatron, the Annex was a World War II air force hut that was reassembled on campus. After the completion of the Betatron Building in 1951 the annex was used to provide “temporary” classroom space for the department. Though scheduled to be demolished after the completion of the Physics Addition in 1967, the annex would remain on campus until it was destroyed in fire on 28 April 1979.