Thomas M. Dauphinee

Biography

Thomas M. (Tim) Dauphinee, born in July 1916 in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, met his wife Amy in 1939 when he was a penniless 23 year old school teacher in northern British Columbia near the starting point of the yet to be built Alaska Highway. With her help and encouragement he has since obtained three degrees, (all from the University of British Columbia). In the last (Ph.D.) at age 34, he "found" physics and switched from teaching to full time research. In 1945 he joined the staff of the Physics Division of the National Research Council and except for a three year teaching and study break (1947-50) has been there ever since and was Head of the Heat and Thermometry Section.

His contributions have ranged successively from solid state measurements (thermal and electrical conductivity, specific heat, Hall effect) to thermometry and precision electrical measurements (thermocouple comparisons, instrumentation for resistance thermometry) and more recently measurements in oceanography (in-situ and laboratory measurements of conductivity, salinity, temperature, pressure and plankton). In each of these fields he has achieved international recognition. Throughout his work has run the common thread of a deep interest in instrumentation am measurement which has led to a number of his designs being put into commercial production.

In addition, Tim has published over 30 technical papers and holds fifteen patents. He was a member of IEEE, ISA, CAP (Canadian Association of Physicists) and CMOS (Canadian Metrological and Oceanography Society). In the IEEE he was a member of the Council on Oceanic Engineering (Instrumentation and Measurement) and an Associate Editor of the Journal of Oceanic Engineering. He was also a scientific advisor to the UNESCO-SCOR WG 10 on Oceanographic Tables and Standards and a member of SCOR Working Group 51 on Evaluation of CTD data.

Tim and Amy took up camping before the camping boom began and with the family covered much of the northern USA and Canada. Tim also sailed Lighting No. 4958 for many years with, he admits, a rather mediocre racing record but lots of good fun. In the early 1960's, he and his sons, and later his daughter, were bitten by the motorcycle bug. He took one of the pioneer motorcycle safety courses offered on this continent and has been an instructor when time permitted every since, rides to work every possible day and has a "classic" stored in his garage to work on after his retirement. He and Amy were become ardent cross-country skiers. With motorcycling in summer, skiing in winter and Credit Union work all year round (he and Amy are both directors of local credit unions and Amy of the Ontario League), they led a very busy life.