Barry Goodison (BA '68)

Forty years ago, the Faculty of Environmental Studies was like a family, recalls Barry Goodison. That meant practical jokes, like marching a piglet up to the front of an agricultural geography class, were seen as good, clean fun.

"There was an atmosphere at the University of Waterloo that allowed young, brash students and young staff to share in 'family' fun," says Goodison. "It set the tone for all of us to enjoy and excel at what we do."

Dr. Goodison (BA '68) has gone on to have a successful science career at Environment Canada (EC) and internationally, lending his expertise to the growing knowledge about the cryosphere, the portion of the Earth that is frozen.

The warm memories of his undergraduate days kept him connected as a member of the University of Waterloo Alumni Council. Goodison has also been a generous donor and guest lecturer who has also made time to mentor many graduate students. As EC's current senior science manager of the International Polar Year, he continues to link Waterloo cryosphere scientists to the international community.

Goodison, who has been honoured with many awards for his work, worked with University of Waterloo faculty to establish the research weather station at the University of Waterloo and most recently he established a graduate scholarship for Waterloo students engaged in cryospheric studies.

"I naturally gravitated back to the University of Waterloo to work collaboratively with staff, to serve on graduate committees and examining committees," says Goodison. "I always kept the desire to see the university grow and become a world leader in its class."

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