Research Fellow Mark Terry Inducted into the Royal Society of Canada

September 14, 2020

portrait shot of Mark Terry filming in the polar ocean

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) and its Members have elected this year’s new Fellows and named the incoming class of The College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.

Eighty-seven new Fellows in the Academies of Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, and Science have been elected by their peers for their outstanding scholarly, scientific and artistic achievement. Recognition by the RSC is the highest honour an individual can achieve in the Arts, Social Sciences and Sciences.

Mark Terry, the Dahdaleh Institute Research Fellow in Documentary Film & Global Health, has been inducted into the Division of Arts. He is an internationally-recognized digital media innovator. His remediation of the documentary film known as the Geo-Doc is currently being used within various divisions of the United Nations as a data delivery system, a new communications tool that bridges the gap between science and policy. His pioneering work with multilinear, non-fiction narratives has been recognized by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television with their Humanitarian Award in 2011. His work in documenting polar research has also been recognized by decorations with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (2013) and The Explorers Club’s Stefansson Medal (2010).

Mark's work at the Dahdaleh Institute include the Planetary Health Film Lab, an intensive program designed for youth who have a story to tell about climate change and health. The program brought together youth from around the world, including Australia, Canada, Ecuador, Colombia, India, and Italy. Over five days, Mark guided them through the process of creating a short documentary on the health impacts of climate change in their home community.

The Royal Society of Canada is the oldest bilingual organization of Canadian scholars, artists and scientists in the fields of humanities, social sciences and sciences. Created in 1883, the Royal Society of Canada included more than 2,000 members in 2017, approximately 20 per cent of whom had French as their mother tongue. Members are elected for their remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public life.