Dr. Eldon Gunn , (Feb 2016)
Professor Emeritus; Department Head
Eldon Gunn
Eldon received a BSc(Hon) in Mathematics from Mount Allison University in 1971, a MSc in Mathematics from Dalhousie University in 1975 and a PhD in Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto in 1981.
He began his career as a researcher at the Nova Scotia Research Foundation in 1971, and started his teaching career at the University of Toronto in 1978, before joining the Technical University of Nova Scotia (TUNS) as an Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering in 1980.
Eldon was instrumental in building and developing Industrial Engineering in Atlantic Canada. He transformed the Industrial Engineering department by establishing a strong research program, and revitalized the graduate studies programs, establishing the Master of Applied Science and PhD in Industrial Engineering. He was the Head of the Industrial Engineering Department at Dalhousie University from 1996 - 2004 and 2007 - 2010, and was primarily responsible for the growth and success of the TUNS/Dalhousie program.
He served on many strategic committees at TUNS and subsequently Dalhousie, helping to craft strategic plans for the Faculty of Engineering, and was a member of the Board of Governors of TUNS.
Eldon published many journal papers, conference papers, book chapters and other materials in operational research, focusing on manufacturing control, forestry management optimization, mine operations, fisheries operations, tidal power and optimization techniques. His forestry work dates back more than 40 years, with strategic and harvest planning models for Scott Maritimes. He was the founding Chair of Nova Forest Alliance, Nova Scotia’s Model Forest and served as Chair of the NS Department of Natural Resources Minister’s Technical Advisory Committee on Sustainable Forest Management. He supervised many students at the Master’s, Doctoral and Post-Doctoral level, and an uncountable number of undergraduate design projects.
Eldon has been a mainstay of operational research in Canada since the 1970's. From his early start working for the Nova Scotia Research Foundation to his recent work with the VCO Network, Eldon was on the forefront of OR in this country, particularly in solving problems in the natural resources area, for forty years. He had a long, distinguished, and accomplished record of research in both the theory and practice of OR. He served the OR community through his dedication to the Canadian Operational Research Society (CORS), serving as president in 1991-92, and was instrumental in the success of CORS annual meetings held in Halifax. He served on several committees of NSERC, and chaired the NSERC Grant Selection Committee for Industrial Engineering. He was a registered Professional Engineer with Engineers Nova Scotia, a member of INFORMS and the Mathematical Programming Society, and a senior member and fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers.
Eldon was a source of deep knowledge in many areas, which he shared freely. Passing conversations in the hall could turn into detailed discussions of complex topics ranging from the application of approximate dynamic programming in hydro-electric dams, to the writings of Northrop Frye, to the joys of fly fishing at Soldier Lake.
He will be remembered for his insistence on “doing the right thing”, and his meticulous attention to detail in his teaching, research and graduate supervision.