Eli Mukammel of the Canadian Climate Centre who retired last November was the recent recipient of a Merit Award for his longtime work researching bio-meteorology. Among his achievements, outlined by ADM Jim Bruce and Howard Ferguson, director general of the Canadian Climate Centre, were his work on toxics on the shores of Lake Erie which eventually led to an air quality agreement with the United States.

Describing Mr. Mukammel as very much ahead of his time, Mr. Ferguson said that his work on toxic studies of this kind would focus public attention more than ever on the effects of weather and climate on health.

Mention was made that Mr. Mukammel was the author of some 36 scientific publications, and that Jim Bruce was co-author of the first of these which appeared in the mid-fifties.

Outlining Mukammel's, career. Bruce and Ferguson pointed out that he had worked for the British Meteorological Office in both Iraq and Ghana before coming to Canada to work for the Weather Service here in 1956. He stayed with the service until 1967 then joined AES around 1980 (a couple of years after suffering a heart attack) and began his work on biometeorology.

Addressing a crowd of colleagues and friends, gathered in the AES Downsview Headquarters auditorium, Mr. Bruce said that Mr. Mukammel was receiving his award for outstanding contributions, over a long period.

 In his reply, Mukammel said that he had done his biometeorological work as his duty to Canada.

In early 1985, Charles Daigle was presented with a Public Service Merit Award in recognition of his steadfastness to duty.

Churchill Falls Weather Station, Labrador, has four observers who keep a round-the-clock observing program. They rotate through 12-hour shifts. On January 11, 1983, Charles Daigle. one of the four observers, arrived at the station at 8 am to begin his 12-hour shift. During his shift, the Bedford NS regional office informed him that he could not be relieved at the end of his shift.

The OIC was hospitalized, the second man had been rushed to hospitaI with a severely lacerated arm, and the third man was in travel status and could not be located. "So get yourself an alarm clock, Charlie, and stick in there!" they said. Daigle set his alarm to ring at hourly intervals to make sure he was awake to perform his observing procedures. Regional office had to fly in technician Bob Sharples. a former Churchill Falls OIC - to relieve him. When relieved at 12 noon on January 12, 1983, Daigle had completed a marathon 28-hour shift!

Ed Hudson has been at the Beaufort Weather Office since 1977 and OIC since 1980. He was recently honoured with the Public Service Merit Award which carries a small honorarium. The award was presented in recognition of the high quality forecasting and consulting service he has provided to the petroleum exploration community in the southern Beaufort Sea.

It was jointly presented by Bev Burns, Director of AES Western Region and Dr. A.H. MacPherson, DOE Regional director general, on behalf of Jacques Gérin, deputy minister, on January 8, 1985.