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Lawrence Martz appointed acting vice-dean of social sciences

Lawrence MartzLawrence Martz has been appointed acting vice-dean of social sciences for the College of Arts & Science.

Martz takes over from Linda McMullen, who recently completed her second term in the position while Harley Dickinson is on administrative leave. Martz’s appointment is for the period of July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015.

Martz first joined the University of Saskatchewan in 1984 as a lecturer in the Department of Geography, and he was promoted to full professor in 1995. Lawrence earned his BSc and MSc degrees from the University of Alberta and completed his PhD at the U of S in 1987.

During his tenure, Martz has served on dozens of university and college committees. His past appointments include acting associate dean of social sciences (2002-2003), acting associate dean of sciences (2003-2004), head of the Department of Geography (2003-2005), associate dean of social sciences (2004-2009), and SSHRC representative with the Office of the Vice-President Research (2007).

In 2008, Martz was appointed to a five-year term as dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Research. Under his leadership, the college agreed to six memorandums of understanding with Chinese universities that provided the framework for the establishment of the U of S - China Doctoral Scholar Partnership program.

Martz’s areas of research expertise include geographical information systems, hydrologic modelling, digital terrain analysis, soil erosion, climate impact on water resources, and computer mapping. He has a strong record in NSERC funding and has published extensively. Martz is active in graduate student mentoring, having supervised 30 master’s students, doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows.

Martz is past president of the Canadian Geophysical Union (Hydrology Section), and he chaired the scientific committee of MAGS and the GEWEX Water Resources Application Project. He served as a member of the Canadian National Committee to the International Association for Hydrologic Sciences and on the NSERC Strategic Project Grants Selection Committee. Martz is a professional geoscientist registered with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan. He recently became an adjunct professor with the Nelson Mandela African Institute for Science and Technology (Tanzania), where he teaches and supervises graduate students.