Gail Atkinson

Gail Marie Atkinson (born 1957) is a Canadian seismologist. She is a former professor at the University of Western Ontario and Canada Research Chair in Earthquake Hazards and Ground Motions. In 2014, Atkinson was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada for being an "international leader in the development of models to predict earthquake ground motions as a function of magnitude and distance."

Gail Atkinson
Born1957 (age 65–66)
Canada
Occupation(s)seismologist, academic
Awards2016 J. Tuzo Wilson Medal
Academic background
EducationBSc, Physics and Geology, 1978, Carleton University
MEngSc, Civil Engineering, 1980, PhD, 1993, University of Western Ontario
ThesisSeismic risk in northern Canada and applications to pipeline projects (1993)
Academic work
InstitutionsUniversity of Western Ontario
Carleton University

Early life and education

Atkinson was born in 1957.[1] She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in geology and physics from Carleton University in 1978 before earning her master's degree in civil engineering at the University of Western Ontario. Following her graduate degree, Atkinson worked with Klohn Leonoff Consulting Engineers and Acres International Ltd and held research fellowships with the University of British Columbia and the Geological Survey of Canada. She eventually returned to UWO for her PhD in geophysics, which she received in 1993.[2]

Career

Upon completing her PhD, Atkinson accepted a faculty position teaching earth sciences at Carleton University. In this role, she analyzed dams, power plants and other buildings across North America to determine their earthquake readiness.[3] In 2001, she received funding to create a national rapid-warning system for potentially destructive earthquakes. In order to establish this system, she oversaw the implementation of a series of 90 seismic probes buried in strategic locations across Canada, each connected by satellite to data centres.[4] During this time, she was also serving as president of Polaris, a joint venture involving government, industry, utilities, and five universities.[5] By 2004, Atkinson's research team installed 70 seismic devices in Ontario, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories.[6] As a result of her efforts, Atkinson received one of Ontario Premier's Research Excellence Awards.[7]

Atkinson remained at Carleton until 2007 when she accepted became the Canada Research Chair in Earthquake Hazards and Ground Motions at the University of Western Ontario.[2] Shortly after accepting this role, Atkinson was named the 2007 William B. Joyner Memorial Lecturer from the Seismological Society of America.[8] In 2010, she partook in a nation-wide study looking at seismic hazards following the 2010 Central Canada earthquake.[9] As a result of her interests into earthquakes, Atkinson partnered with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, TransAlta, and Nanometrics to establish a multi-institutional collaborative research program on Induced Seismicity Processes and Hazards.[10]

In 2014, Atkinson was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada for being an "international leader in the development of models to predict earthquake ground motions as a function of magnitude and distance."[11] Two years later, she was the recipient of the 2016 J. Tuzo Wilson Medal as someone who had made an outstanding contribution to the field of geophysics in Canada.[12] In 2018, Atkinson was awarded the Hellmuth Prize for Achievement in Research for her research at the engineering-seismology interface.[13]

In 2020, Atkinson was recognized with the Harry Fielding Reid Medal for her seminal contributions in engineering seismology, especially regarding ground motion characterization.[14] She later retired the same year and moved to British Columbia.[15]

Personal life

Atkinson and her husband have two children together.[16]

References
  1. "Atkinson, Gail Marie, 1957–". Library of Congress. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  2. "Gail Atkinson" (PDF). The Canadian Geotechnical Society. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  3. Heartfield, Kate (January 4, 2000). "The earthquake watch". The Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved February 26, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  4. Egan, Kelly (March 2, 2001). "A thumb on the Earth's pulse". The Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved February 26, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  5. "Quake: Early warnings vital to reducing catastrophe". The Ottawa Citizen. March 2, 2001. Retrieved February 26, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  6. Tam, Pauline (June 14, 2004). "Diagnosing the Earth's tremors". The Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved February 26, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  7. "Innovative Ontario scientists receive Premier's Research Excellence Awards". Ontario. April 23, 2003. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  8. "Gail Atkinson: William B. Joyner Memorial Lectures 2007 Recipient". Seismological Society of America. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  9. Winders, Jason (June 23, 2010). "Earthquake a case study for professors". Western News. University of Western Ontario. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  10. "Induced Seismicity Research Program at Western University". Recorder. September 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  11. Winders, Jason (September 9, 2014). "Six researchers named to Royal Society of Canada". University of Western Ontario. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  12. "Elements" (PDF). Canadian Geophysical Union. 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  13. Mayne, Paul (April 30, 2018). "Hellmuth Prize celebrates elite researchers". University of Western Ontario. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  14. "Gail M. Atkinson". Seismological Society of America. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  15. "Summer 2020: To Earth and Beyond" (PDF). University of Western Ontario. Summer 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  16. Winders, Jason (May 26, 2009). "FACULTY PROFILE: Predicting earth movements to make buildings safer". University of Western Ontario. Retrieved February 26, 2022.


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