Earned Doctor of Science awarded to Dr. Wayne Evans

Posted October 29, 1997


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
97-10-14-OTHER
U of S alumnus to receive Earned Doctor of
Science degree

Saskatoon SK, October 24, 1997 -- The University will award an Earned
Doctor of Science degree at fall convocation to Dr. Wayne Evans,
currently professor of environmental science at Trent University,
Peterborough, ON.

Evans was born and raised in Saskatchewan. He entered the University
of Saskatchewan in 1957, following an outstanding high school career
that culminated in his winning the Governor-General?s Bronze Medal.

His undergraduate achievements were of the same high standard. In
1961, graduated with a BA (High Honors) in physics and was awarded
the E.L. Harrington Prize as the most outstanding graduate in Physics
and Engineering Physics.

Although he could have entered graduate school at the university of his
choice, he chose to remain at the U of S and in 1963 received an MA for
research studies of active red aurora.

In 1967, he was awarded a PhD for his world-leading research of the
infrared dayglow?radiation that?s emitted by the atmosphere as a result
of natural chemical reactions within it. This work revealed the presence
of an upper atmospheric ozone layer about 80 km high.

This outstanding student career resulted in the awarding of an NSERC
(then NRC) post-doctoral fellowship, and Dr. Evans moved to Paris to
continue his studies of the airglow.

In 1969 Evans returned to the U of S and turned his attention to using the
airglow to study atmospheric composition. In 1972 he moved to Toronto
to join the Atmospheric Environment Service, where he embarked on a
research program to study the possible depletion of atmospheric ozone.

He had recognised the potential for special high latitude effects well
before the discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole, and later argued that
Arctic ozone depletion could be significant. He made, and reported, the
first measurements of Arctic ozone depletion.

Since returning to academe, at Trent University in 1990, he has
continued his research into ozone depletion but has also recognised an
important secondary effect of ozone depletion?global warming. Dr.
Evans has also participated in other major research efforts.

He?s a member of the Science Teams for Canadian instruments flown in
the NASA and Swedish space programs. And he was principal
investigator for the sun-photometer experiment flown on the Shuttle to
measure atmospheric composition.

He has discovered that satellite instruments can give very different
information from that initially envisaged. He has used a wind-measuring
interferometer to provide the first maps of noctilucent clouds?those near
85 km that may be the first real evidence of global warming. He has also
discovered a new airglow layer that may relate to nitric oxide in the
atmosphere.

This impressive, innovative research record, involving about 200
refereed scientific papers, has been recognised with the awarding of the
federal government?s Public Service Merit Award, the Canadian
Meteorological and Oceanographic Society?s President?s Prize, and
election to the Royal Society of Canada.

For more information, please contact:

Iain MacLean
University Secretary
(306) 966-4632