- Georges Brossard
Georges Brossard (born in
1940 inLa Prairie ,Québec ,Canada ) is a famedentomologist and founder of theMontreal Insectarium (Insectarium de Montréal).Biography
An insect enthusiast from a very early age, Brossard held a career as a notary until the age of 38. He then started to travel, and on his travels studied the insects he came across with deep interest. In
1989 , after having collected over 250 000 specimens, he solicited the then mayor ofMontreal ,Jean Doré , to open an insectarium. He and Pierre Bourque, then director of the Montreal Botanical Gardens, began a partnership to govern and operate theMontreal Insectarium . Georges Brossard has also founded four other insectariums across the globe, some of which are located as far asShanghai andSouth Africa . Since the opening of theMontreal Insectarium , his collection, which he continues to amass through his travels, has grown to over 500 000 specimens.Brossard has also written and directed 20 episodes of
Mémoires d'insectes (Insect Diaries), and was the creator and host of the televised seriesInsectia . He is the cofounder and copresident of Montreal's CinémaIMAX les Ailes.In
2004 , he was the subject of the fiction filmLe Papillon Bleu (The Blue Butterfly), directed byLéa Pool , based on an event in Brossard's life which occurred in1987 . Working for theChildren's Wish Foundation of Canada , Brossard traveled to South America with a boy in the terminal phase of cancer. It was the boy's dream to catch a mythical BlueMorpho butterfly, which Georges goes to great lengths to find in the vast jungles, even putting his and the boy's lives in danger. They finally catch the butterfly, and upon returning to Québec, the cancer which had been slowly killing the child miraculously receded.Awards
*
1999 - Member of theOrder of Canada
* Recipient of theQueen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
* Léon-Provencher Prize from the Société d’Entomologie du Québec
* Louis-Riel Medal
* Doctorats Honoris Causa in sciences at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
* Doctorats Honoris Causa in sciences atMcGill University .
*2006 - Knight of theNational order of Quebec ee also
*
List of entomologists
* List of famous Canadians - scientistsExternal links
* [http://papillonbleu.sympatico.ca/ Le Papillon Bleu website]
* [http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/insectarium/fr/index.php?section=brossa_c.htm Georges Brossard on the Insectatium Website, complete with images]
* [http://www.orizon.ca/conferenciers/george-brassard.htm Georges Brossard on Orizon]
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