Robin, Gordon de Quetteville

Gordon de Quetteville Robin (OW1934) was a glaciologist who produced ground breaking research into radio-echo and seismic sounding systems to measure ice thickness, topography and lakes under the ice. He was a member and Senior Physicist of the Norwegian, British and Swedish Antarctic Expedition of 1949-52. He became the longest serving director of the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge University. He was given awards and medals from Britain, Sweden, Norway and many international scientific bodies, including the Royal Geographical Society’s Patron’s Medal. His research is still being used today, including using satellites to map the Earth’s surface. In 1952 he was awarded the Bruce Memorial Medal by the Royal Society of Edinburgh. This is the highest award in Scotland for scientific research in polar regions. It is awarded for notable contributions to new knowledge and as a result of personal experience in either the Arctic or Antarctic. It is rarely given to anyone not of Scottish birth or origin, which makes it more significant that it was awarded to an Australian. Later he was the first Secretary to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research and later President from 1970-74.