Two former presidents of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Gisèle Jacob and Arthur E. Collin (ABOVE, with current president John Geiger at left), were presented in November with the 2011 Camsell Medal for outstanding service. Jacob was the first female president of the Society, a position she held from 2004 to 2010. A number of notable developments occurred under her leadership, including the launch of The Canadian Atlas Online and the publication of Canadian Geographic Travel. The native Montrealer is a former chair of the Geographical Names Board of Canada.

Also honoured is Jacob’s predecessor, Collin, a marine scientist who studied the Arctic Archipelago and whose involvement with the Society dates back to the late 1980s. Collin was president from 1998 to 2004, the year of the Society’s 75th anniversary and several special initiatives, including the joint publication of The Canadian Atlas with Reader’s Digest Canada.