Employee spotlight: A tale of two Mortons

Fifteen years ago, Keith Morton joined the NRC, where he currently works as a senior research officer and the team lead for the Micro-Nanofabrication team in the Medical Devices Research Centre . However, Keith is not the first Morton to walk the halls of the NRC.

In 1986, Keith’s father, Don Morton, became the director general of the Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre (known at the time as the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics).

“My father’s passion for astronomy stems all the way back to the summer of 1952 before he started university,” Keith explains.

That summer, Don landed an internship at the David Dunlap Observatory in Toronto. After spending his summers during university working at the observatory, he went on to complete his PhD in Astrophysics at 美国普林斯顿大学 .

Don’s work in astronomy was significantly influenced by his mentor and colleague Lyman Spitzer. Spitzer proposed the idea of space-based telescopes and was a driving force behind the development of the Copernicus Space Telescope for far ultraviolet spectra and the Hubble Space Telescope. In the early 1960s, Don and Lyman worked together to launch the first UV spectrographs on rockets for high altitude astronomy far above the bulk of the Earth’s atmosphere. “He was also one of my dad’s main mountaineering and climbing partners,” adds Keith.

In 1965, Don and Lyman were the first to climb the north ridge of Mount Thor on Baffin Island, Nunavut.

Mountain climbing was a shared activity for Keith and his dad, as well. Recalling a particularly memorable trip, Keith says, “living in Victoria, B.C., we could see Mount Baker across the straight in Washington State. It was a 2-day effort: we climbed up above the tree line the first day, camping out overnight on the snow before an early morning climb to the summit.”

Now, as a father himself, Keith loves to go hiking and mountain biking with his own kids.

After graduating from university, Keith explored the world of start-ups, before returning to Princeton for his PhD in Electrical Engineering. On his decision to join the NRC, Keith says his father was a big influence.

“My dad was very happy that I was coming back to Canada and joining the public service.”

Reflecting on his dedication to his own research, Keith says, “I love being able to develop new microfabrication technologies to tackle difficult challenges in healthcare.”

Both Keith and his father found their own paths to the NRC, intertwining their stories along the way. Their shared curiosity and deep love for science came together serendipitously on Keith’s latest project. “I am privileged to be part of a larger team at NRC working with the Canadian Space Agency | Agence spatiale canadienne to send blood analysis chips to the International Space Station and beyond!” exclaims Keith. The microfluidic devices will monitor astronauts’ health so that they can continue to explore and study space; his father’s life-long endeavour.

In celebration of Father’s Day, Keith shared how his father has impacted him most, “My dad imparted a deep curiosity for how things work that has stayed with me in both life and work,” adding that he’s learned from his father’s “perseverance and ability to keep moving forward steadily through a problem.”

On June 12, Don celebrated his 90th birthday, after returning from a hiking and bus trip to Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii, showcasing that curiosity and perseverance are all you need.

Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful fathers out there!

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