Brink, Vernon Cuthbert, 1912-2007

• Brink, Bert

Vernon Cuthbert "Bert" Brink earned his MSc from UBC in 1936 and then a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1940. He joined the Department of Agronomy at UBC as an assistant professor in 1940, and in 1946 was promoted to associate professor. In 1955 he was promoted to full professor and became chair (1955-1967) of the newly formed Division of Plant Science. In 1970, VC. Runeckles became chair, but Brink continued to teach in the newly formed Department of Plant Science until 1978.
Brink was active in many organizations related to agronomy and plant science. They include the Agricultural Institute of Canada (AIC), the Canadian Seed Growers' Association, the British Columbia Institute of Agrologists (BCIA), the Canadian Society of Agronomy, the American Society of Agronomy, the Genetics Society of Canada, the American Society of Range Management, the Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute, the Western Canada Turfgrass Association, the BC Parks Committee, the BC Fertilizers and Agricultural Poisons Board, and the BC Foundation Seed Committee. In 1969, Brink chaired the BC Indian Agriculture and Lands Committee, a BCIA and AIC. All of these organizations had close links to the Division of Plant Science.
Vernon Brink was also active in many UBC committees. They include the Sub-Committee to study the organization of Soil Science in 1953, the Genetics Committee, the Committee on Sports Turf Research, the Climatological Committee, the President's Committee for the Electron Microscope (installed in 1959), and the Advisory Committee on Botanical Garden Policy.
Brink's research interests encompassed several areas. Before becoming the division chair, he collaborated on a Diffuse Knapweed project with one of his graduate assistants, T.G. Atkinson. In 1959, he began a study of Gibberellin, an alfalfa growth regulator. He also was involved in various genetic experiments on Rhizoma alfalfa. Brink also continued to develop his interest in the study of barley. His Master's thesis examined the chemical process carried out by barley extracts. Other interests included the care and improvement of turfgrass, climate effects, crop genetics, and the ecological use of land. Brink also promoted the division's University Research Farm development at Oyster River as a teaching and research facility. He contributed to Crop Science, Ecology, The Journal of Plant Science, and Canadian Field-Naturalist throughout his career. Brink served on the Environmental Assessment Panel, which studied the potential impact of reactivating the Boundary Bay Airport and a third runway at Vancouver International Airport. In 1984, he became a member of the Directors of The Nature Trust, a non-profit organization established to conserve areas of ecological significance in the province.

Professor at UBC's Department of Agronomy. Became chair of the Division of Plant Science.

Revised by UBC Archives, May 26, 2011.
Revised by BCANS Coordinator, May 27, 2011.