Fonds NEL - G. L. Nelms fonds

NELMS, George LeRoy (1930-2020) electrical engineer, physicist, defence scientist, science administrator.

G.L. Nelms was born in 1930 in Grand Prairie Alberta and grew up in the Peace River Valley BC. He received in BSc in electrical engineering (1954) and MSc in electronics (1955) both from the University of British Columbia. After spending several summers in Ottawa doing microwave research, he became a researcher in ionospheric physics with the Defence Research Telecommunications Establishment (DRTE) in Ottawa.

In 1957-1962, Nelms took a leave of absence to do a PhD in upper atmospheric physics at Cambridge University. When he returned to DRTE, he became part of the team that analyzed the data from the Canadian research satellites Alouette I (launched 1962), Alouette II (launched 1965) and Isis I (1969). Nelms was also involved with the Canadian telecommunications satellites Telsat (1969), Isis II (1971) and was the deputy director for the Hermes satellite program (1976).

In 1973 Nelms became the director of Defence Electronics Division of the Defence Research Establishment Ottawa (DREO). He became its Deputy Chief in 1980. In 1983 Nelms moved to National Defence Headquarters to become Associate Chief of Research and Development (CRAD). In this position he oversaw scientific research programs at the Department of National Defence. He was involved in space based radar and satellites. He was involved in the selection of astronauts for the Canadian space program, advisor to space research programs at Canadian universities as well as the Canadian representative on international scientific and research organizations.

Dr. Nelms returned as Chief of the Defence Research Establishment Ottawa (DREO) in 1986, retiring in 1990. In his retirement, he was an advisor to the Institute for Space and Terrestrial Physics at York University. Nelms was also interested in the history of Canadian defence research. He was a member of the editorial board of the committee that produced the book “No Day Long Enough: Canadian Science in World War II” (1997). He was an advisor to the television film “Space Pioneers of Canada” (1981-1988) and the film “Calculated Risks: Canadian Science at War 1939-45” (1995-1996). Nelms was also involved in the designation of the launching of Alouette I as a historical event by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (1993) and the Historical Sites and Monument Board of Canada (2010).

G.L. Nelms died in Ottawa on 29 March 2020.