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While on board a cruise ship, giving a series of oceanography talks, Dr. Paul J. Harrison suddenly and tragically passed away on December 17, 2016 from complications of the influenza A virus.
Paul was humble and a mentor to many. He loved learning, spending time in nature, travel and adventure. He was Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia, an outstanding international scientist, and tremendous supporter of his academic colleagues. (UBC Memoriam) Paul was also a strong supporter of the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre; he was Chair of the Academic Committee for the Management Council and taught during the Fall Program with Louis Druehl. We are all so sorry to hear of this, as Paul was so full of life when he was here with a hiking group in September. A celebration of Paul’s life will be held on Sunday, March 26, 2017, on the University of British Columbia campus, in Vancouver, BC. |
Dr. Louis Druehl writes:
“Paul spent a fruitful academic life in the field of marine plant physiology and ecology with emphasis on phytoplankton. He trained twenty-five Ph. D. students, the first being Dave Turpin who went on to become president of the University of Victoria. The “Harrison Lab”, at University of British Columbia, involved plankton studies reaching from the Sea of Oman to the North Pacific to Hong Kong waters and back home to the Salish Sea. He published as recently as January 2017 with Asian colleagues. He conducted kelp physiological studies with my group at the Bamfield Marine Station and co-published with Christopher Lobban and Mary Jo Duncan, The physiological ecology of seaweeds (1985, Cambridge Press) that has gone through two major revisions and continues to be a definitive synopsis. With his wife, Victoria, he participated in a vigourous, healthful life, traveling extensively and introducing others to their life style and nature. He was known to slip from the vegetarian regime, enjoying the odd side-stripe shrimp, however. Paul left us much to early. He will be missed. To honour Paul’s commitment and passion for training and mentoring, a graduate-student scholarship in biological oceanography will be established in his name. “