Revised 17 II 2012
CURRICULUM VITAE
NAME : Donald Roy Wiles
RANK : Professor (Retired, September, 1990) Emeritus; DLL (honoris causa)
ADDRESSES: Chemistry Department,
Carleton University,
Ottawa, Canada, K1S 5B6
EDUCATION :
School: Amherst, Nova Scotia
B.Sc. 1946 Chemistry (Honours) Mount Allison University
B.Ed. 1947 Mount Allison University
M.Sc. 1950 Chemistry, McMaster University
Ph.D. 1953 Nuclear Chemistry, M.I.T., Cambridge, Mass
PDF 1953-55 Kjemisk Institutt, University of Oslo
D.LL. (honoris causa) Carleton University, 2011
Personal Events
Married: Elisabeth Grant Lilly, of Westport, Conn., USA 21 June, 1952
Children:
Anne Marit Wiles born Oslo, Norway, 28 October, 1954.
Karen Lee Wiles born Vancouver, B.C., 29 October, 1956.
Peter David Wiles born North Vancouver, B.C., 24 April, 1958.
Hobbies:
Music (piano, flute, oboe) has always been a strong interest. In sports, swimming, skiing are the main ones, with squash coming later. At M.I.T, sailing was a big passion. Flying came to be a passion in about 1973, and led to my becoming a flying instructor. Farming became an important part of life when, in 1974 we acquired an active farm. Through many troubles, we raised beef cattle (Maine-Anjou), sheep (Dorset and Suffolk), ducks (Muscovy) chickens, dogs, cats and occasional goats, donkeys, horses and miscellaneous other beasts. Farming imposed a considerable drain on our finances and great constraints on our ability to travel, and is now slowly winding down, and being replaced by travel.
Travels:
In addition to professional travel, personal travel has been a strong interest. Living in Europe (Norway, Germany) helped make that easier. Countries that have been visited include:
Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Holland, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Jugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Hong Kong, Guyana, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Belize, Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, Martinique, Guadeloupe, South Africa, Peru, Egypt, Turkey, Ecuador, Botswana, St Lucia, and others yet to come.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
1947 – 1948 Radium Chemist Eldorado Mining & Refining Ltd.
1949 – 1950 Radiochemist Hamilton Medical Research Institute
1953 Part time Radiochemist New England Medical Centre, Boston
1953 – 1955 Post Doctoral Fellow University of Oslo, Norway
1955 – 1959 Research Associate University of British Columbia
1959 – 1963 Assistant Professor Carleton University
1963 – 1969 Associate Professor Carleton University
1965 Visiting Scientist Institute for Atomic Physics, Bucharest, Romania
1969 – Professor Carleton University
1969 – 1970 Visiting Scientist Institut für Heisse Chemie
Kernforschungzentrum Karlsruhe, Germany
1971 – 1975 Consultant Applied Chemistry Department
Brookhaven National Laboratory
1993 Visiting Professor, ANSTO, Australia.
1979 – 1987 Chairman, Chemistry Department, Carleton University
1990 – Consultant, Atomic Energy Control Board (Canada)
1990 – Consultant, Environment Canada (Nuclear Waste Disposal) FEARO, SRG
1995-6 Consultant, Missouri Department of Natural Resources
1996 Visiting Professor (Mahaguru), Universitas Cenderawasih, Jayapura, Irian Jaya, Indonesia
University positions held
Secretary, Science Faculty Chairman,
University Library Committee
President, Faculty Club
Chairman, Chemistry Department
Chairman, University Safety Committee
University Senate
Honorary Degrees Committee
External Awards Committee
President, Retirees Association
Other positions and functions:
NRC Site Visiting Committee (twice)
Ontario Graduate Scholarship Grant Selection Panel 1982
Chairman, Ontario Graduate Scholarship Grant Selection Panel 1983
Member, Ontario Graduate Scholarship Grant Selection Committee 1986-88
Council of Chemistry Department Chairmen of Ontario Universities:
Member 1979-87 ; Chairman 1982-1984
Council of Canadian University Chemistry Chairmen
Member 1979-87 ; Executive Committee 1985-87 .
Member, 1990 – Federal Environmental Assessment Review Panel, Scientific Review Group
(on High Level Nuclear Waste Disposal)
Chemical Institute of Canada:
Vice Chairman of the Ottawa Section
Chairman of the Ottawa Section (two terms)
Councillor, Eastern Ontario
Director
Vice Chairman and Chairman, Chemical Education Division
National Judge, Highschool Chemistry Examination
Research Interests
Having been a radiochemist for many years, I worked for several years in the area of nuclear fission chemistry–mostly fission yield measurement. During a four-year period at the University of British Columbia I worked on corrosion and dissolution chemistry. I continued some of this work at Carleton University, mostly in the form of electron exchange kinetics in solution. At that same time (1959) I turned my attention to hot atom chemistry, both of ionic compounds and metal-organic compounds. Particularly in the latter area our work became prominent world-wide. On reaching what I perceived to be impenetrable barriers, both in the experimental study and the theoretical interpretation of solid state hot atom chemistry, I changed my attention to measurement of environmental radioactivity – particularly that of the heavy natural decay products of uranium. This was very interesting and productive, but led to less publishable research. At the same time as my grants decreased, I became Chairman of the Chemistry Department, and ultimately was forced to stop doing research.
Publications
About 64 refereed papers published, three review articles and one patent (three countries), on various topics including Nuclear Fission, Corrosion, Electron Exchange, Hot Atom Chemistry, Mössbauer Spectroscopy, Radioanalytical Chemistry.
Books:
The Chemistry of Art and Artifacts PolyScience Publishers, 1993
A History of the Chemistry Department Privately Printed
The Chemistry of Nuclear Fuel Waste Disposal, Polytechnic International, 2002
Radioactivity: What it is, What it does: Polytechnic International, 2010
Around the World in 80 Years Privately printed
Teaching and Related Work (Pertinent items only)
Metallurgy 460 (UBC) Applied Radiochemistry
Chemistry 519 (UBC) Radiochemistry
Chemistry 010 Preliminary year Many times
Chemistry 111 First year for Engineers Many times
Chemistry 100 First year General Many times
Chemistry 107 The Chemistry of Art and Artifacts Many times
Chemistry 360 Inorganic Chemistry Many times
Chemistry 451 Applied Thermodynamics Several times
Chemistry 65-452 Radiochemistry Many Times
Chemistry 65-555 Advanced Radiochemistry Several Times
Special Survey Course:
Principles of the Use of Radioactive Tracers. University of British Columbia, June, 1959
Chemical Bonding for Ottawa High School Teachers – 1966
1989-90 AECL Chalk River Labs: Radiochemistry Course
1990 Crash course for Ontario Hydro on Radioactivity Measurement
1991-92 AECL Chalk River Labs: Radiochemistry Course
1993 Repeat of the above course at ANSTO (Australia)
1993-94 AECL Chalk River Labs: Radiochemistry Course
1995 Radiochemistry course, Radiation Protection Bureau, Ottawa
1996 Short Course in Chemical Thermodynamics, UNCEN, Jayapura, Irian Jaya, Indonesia
Other Books and Manuals written:
Radioactive Tracer Techniques, U.B.C, 1958
Graduate Studies Procedures in Chemistry (1965)
Chemistry for High School Teachers (1966)
Chemistry 65-100 Laboratory Manual
Chemistry 65-111 Course notes (with D.C.Wigfield)
The Chemistry of Art and Artifacts
Notes on Radiochemistry (for Chemistry 65.452), (for ANSTO, Australia) (for AECL, Chalk River)
Notes on Chemical Thermodynamics (for UNCEN, Indonesia)
Notes on Chemical Bonding (for UNCEN, Indonesia)
Chemistry for Engineers; Privately published, 1993, 1994, 1995.
Radiochemistry – a short course – revised annually.
The Chemistry of Art and Artifacts; Polyscience Publishing, 1993
The Chemistry of Nuclear Fuel Waste Disposal, Polytechnic International, 2002
Languages spoken:
English, Norwegian, formerly excellent
German, formerly quite good French, less comfortable, but possible
Willing to try others, and have had a smattering of several:
Greek, Indonesian, Spanish, Albanian, Indonesian
(these would be useful at present only for making personal contact with people in other cultures, not for lecturing)
Further notes:
In 1993, I spent two months in Australia. I was invited to spend this time at ANSTO, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization, at Lucas Heights, near Sydney, to give a course in Radiochemistry to the staff of the Biomedicine and Health Division.
I have recently published my book, “The Chemistry of Art and Artifacts”. This book, which has been printed privately several times, was written as the notes for Chemistry 65.107, The Chemistry of Art and Artifacts. It is being used as the textbook for courses of this nature in two Ontario colleges and several US Universities. The book has been published by PolyScience, Inc., in Morin Heights. Quebec. Copies are no longer available. A revised edition is being contemplated.
I have been invited several times to give a course in Radiochemistry at the Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories of AECL. This makes the third time I have given this course at CRNL. I have also given an analogous course at the Radiation Protection Bureau, Health and Welfare Canada, in Ottawa.
For several years I have been a associated with the Federal Environmental Assessment Review Office as member of the Scientific Review Group, assembled by the Ministry of the Environment, to examine the technical aspects of the Environmental Impact Statement on high level nuclear waste disposal. Our report was released to the public in October, 1995.
In January and February, 1996 I was asked to teach a short course in Chemical Thermodynamics at Universitas Cenderawasih, Jayapura, in eastern Indonesia. This course was given in English, with an Indonesian counterpart. I gave a similar course in Chemical Bonding the following year: January – February, 1997.
Recently I have written a book on “The Chemistry of Nuclear Fuel Waste Disposal”. This book was published in June of 2002.
More recently I have written another book: “Radioactivity: What it is and What it Does”, written explicitly for the general public. This was published in September, 2010.
Most recently I had privately printed “Around the World in 80 Years” , which relates some of the weird (but true) events that have befallen us on our various travels. This was to be (and perhaps still will be) a Chapter in my autobiography: “In Pursuit of Mediocrity”
Other Activities
In the past few years I have organized the Almonte Lectures, a series of monthly lectures on various topics. Attendance is usually about 70. http://almontelectures.ncf.ca
More recently, I have organized short courses “Learning in Almonte” patterned after the Learning in Retirement at the University. Public response has been enthusiastic.
Committees in Almonte:
Carleton Expansion Committee
Mills Cultural Committee