Geology Courses Research Articles

Watershed-Based Integration of Hydrology, Geochemistry, and Geophysics in an Environmental Geology Curriculum

Inquiry-based study focused on the campus watershed was initiated at Binghamton University after creation of an undergraduate Environmental Geology Track within the Geological Sciences curriculum. Use of the watershed in environmental geology courses has been implemented to 1) promote active learning outside of the classroom; 2) allow students to work with state of the art field and laboratory equipment and “real world” data; and 3) encourage interdisciplinary thinking. The longer-term goal is to enable undergraduates to conduct meaningful, field based, “capstone” research projects. A grant from the National Science Foundation supported instrumentation of the entire campus watershed into a readily accessible field laboratory; included are groundwater monitoring wells, equipment for measuring and sampling stream flow, a meteorological station, a wet and dry deposition collector for sampling atmospheric quality, and portable environmental monitoring equipment. In addition, geophysical equipment, including seismic refraction and reflection, DC electrical resistivity, and gravity anomaly measurements, is used to determine subsurface structure at various locations on campus. The undergraduates are now able to explore differences in physical and chemical processes between and within the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere on real-time scales. The use of this equipment and the watershed focus has been fully incorporated into three inquiry-based undergraduate courses (Environmental Hydrology, Environmental Geophysics, and Environmental Measurements) to foster interdisciplinary learning about the complexity of watershed-based processes. This manuscript describes the campus field stations, presents examples of field exercises, and assesses the impacts of the program to date.

The Role of Education and Experience in Developing Site Investigation Skills

A computer simulation program was developed to teach site investigation skills. It includes an open-ended assessment test to gauge an individual9s abilities and effectiveness at site investigation. The test consists of a series of educational and experience questions followed by 14 investigation strategy questions, which were designed to measure the ability to apply geological knowledge to characterize sites and improve investigation plans. The individual scores on the test were compared statistically with the educational and experience elements to assess the critical components of an engineering geologist9s background that improved his or her site investigation skills. The most important college courses contributing to site investigation skills include geomorphology, field camp, regional geology, and a strong introductory geology course. Secondary but helpful courses include case histories, stratigraphy, structural geology, engineering geology, sedimentation, rock mechanics, and hydrogeology. The total number of geology background courses is not statistically significant, nor is the terminal degree earned, although individuals with certain post-baccalaureate degrees showed higher scores than average. The number of years of experience is statistically significant, although after 20 years statistical improvements do not continue. Professional registration is correlated with improved scores, with the Certified Engineering Geologist and Geotechnical Engineer registration being the most important. Those who have only Engineer-in-Training or Geologist-in-Training registration showed significantly lower than average scores, reflecting their short record of experience. Finally, the number of geographic regions in which an individual had work experience was significant, although those who had worked in more than five regions did not follow the overall trend. Those with experience in the Rockies, California, the Piedmont, New England, and the Gulf Coast scored better than average. Those with experience in Florida, the Appalachians, or the Midwest scored worse than average, which may be a reflection of the relatively homogeneous geology and limited opportunities for breadth of experience in parts of those regions.

Integration of New Methods into Teaching Mineralogy

Mineralogy is usually the first geology course taken by students above the 100 level, and as such it is a vital building block for geology curricula. In recent years the number of mineralogists has declined, the relevance of the field has been questioned, and as a result the course has often been taught by less than enthusiastic non-specialists in the field. We believe that the key to restructuring mineralogy involves setting reasonable, prioritized course goals and employing (at least) four modern pedagogical learning methods: spiral learning, inquiry-based learning, concept maps, and use of interactive models and visualization. We present here a revised mineralogy curriculum that benefits from reflections on appropriate content and on these new learning methods and teaching styles.

Teaching Mineralogy from the Core to the Crust

Mineralogy is commonly the first difficult geology course that a student major encounters. To provide a solid foundation and context for learning mineralogy, and, in an effort to enhance retention of information and facilitate learning, the ‘typical’ sequence in our mineralogy course is restructured using the whole Earth as a reference framework. This method provides a context in which to teach the materials that comprise our Planet. Beginning with the Earth's core, simple native elements are introduced, followed by minerals with increasing complexity as discussion moves outward to the Earth's crust. Key theoretical concepts are seamlessly interwoven into discussions of various portions of the Earth, rather than being considered initially in a separate section. This flexible framework allows individual courses to be tailored to the needs of the department while maintaining a strong tie to geology and establishing links to societally-relevant issues.

Home Energy Conservation Exercise

We have developed a home energy conservation exercise that illustrates the ways in which heat energy is lost from a home and ultimately, how it can be conserved. Students are asked to calculate the heat loss from a model home before and after applying energy conserving modifications. The difference in these calculations represents the amount of heat energy that could be conserved by making the modifications. To calculate total heat loss for each version of the home, students must account for convection, (heat transfer via air movement), and conduction, (heat transfer through solid materials). Students are provided with a list of building material costs and a budget of $5,000 and are asked to retrofit the un-insulated home in such a way as to conserve the maximum amount of energy and heating cost per heating month. Introductory geology courses commonly include material on resources, energy, and the environment. Current news topics include discussion of the energy resources in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge and the shortage of natural gas. This exercise takes a practical approach to energy conservation and applies it directly to conservation of a geological resource. When used in conjunction with classroom discussions concerning the detrimental effects of the use of fossil fuels and their limited supply, it is an effective way of demonstrating the concept of conservation as a source of energy and a means to preserve the environment. It is also a practical way to incorporate quantitative reasoning into the classroom.

Time-series analysis and cyclostratigraphy: examining stratigraphic records of environmental cycles

Increasingly environmental scientists, palaeoceanographers and geologists are collecting quantitative records of environmental changes (time-series) from sediments, ice cores, cave calcite, corals and trees. This book explains how to analyse these records, using straightforward explanations and diagrams rather than formal mathematical derivations. All the main cyclostratigraphic methods are covered including spectral analysis, cross-spectral analysis, filtering, complex demodulation, wavelet and singular spectrum analysis. Practical problems of time-series analysis, including those of distortions of environmental signals during stratigraphic encoding, are considered in detail. Recent research into various types of tidal and climatic cycles is summarised. The book ends with an extensive reference section, and an appendix listing sources of computer algorithms. This book provides the ideal reference for all those using time-series analysis to study the nature and history of climatic and tidal cycles. It is suitable for senior undergraduate and graduate courses in environmental science, palaeoceanography and geology.

Making Geology Relevant to Non-Science Majors Through the Environmental Site Assessment Project

The Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) project was developed to make geology more relevant to the non-science majors in Appalachian State University's Environmental and Applied Geology course. Pedagogically, this exercise is an example of directed-inquiry. Students are guided in applying the geoscience theory learned in the formal classroom setting to the reality of their own independent research projects. Through participation in the ESA project, students investigate earth resource issues of water quality and water supply, and geologic hazards specific to each student's place of residence. Student survey results indicated that this project had a positive impact on students' perceptions of the value and relevance of geoscience, particularly that knowledge gained from the ESA project would be very helpful to them in future decision-making situations, such as home or business site selection. With little modification, this exercise is transferable to survey geology courses at other colleges and to middle and high school earth and environmental science programs.

Integrating Investigation Across the Geology and Physics Curricula using the Cullowhee Creek Environmental Field Station, Western Carolina University

The geology and physics programs at Western Carolina University were revised to provide investigative, quantitative, and interdisciplinary opportunities at all levels of the curriculum. Central to the revisions was the development of the Cullowhee Creek Environmental Field Station (CCEFS). The field station, a part of the Western Carolina University campus, includes three groundwater wells, a gaging station, a weather station, and areas to investigate the physical, hydrological, and environmental systems on campus. Hydrological measurements are made using continuously monitored loggers and probes, hand-held instruments, and flow meters. Shallow subsurface characteristics are evaluated through surface material observations, shallow soil probes, and geophysical (seismic, resistivity, magnetic and ground-penetrating radar) surveys. Curricular reforms using the CCEFS have emphasized development of investigative projects related to the campus geological environment in several introductory through advanced courses in geology and physics, as well as an interdisciplinary geophysics course. Preliminary project assessment indicates that early and persistent student involvement in investigations has increased student understanding and ability to do science. The interdisciplinary field station activities have helped students recognize the importance and relevance of physics to geological and environmental problems.

Quantifying Urban Land Use and Runoff Changes Through Service-Learning Hydrology Projects

We have used land use change, driven by development of the University of Vermont campus and recent student occupancy of surrounding neighborhoods in Burlington, Vermont, as an opportunity for service learning and for teaching fundamental hydrologic and geologic skills in two undergraduate Geology courses. Two students, from a Geomorphology class, used historical maps and aerial photographs of the University campus to document the dramatic increase in impermeable surfaces on campus from 4% of the land area in 1869 to 42% in 1999. In Geohydrology, student teams used aerial photographs, field mapping, and door-to-door surveys to document green space losses of 40 to 50% over the past 20 years in neighborhoods inhabited predominantly by students, despite zoning controls enacted in 1973. Students used simple hydrologic calculations to demonstrate that this unregulated change in land use increased both the volume and peak flow of stormwater runoff. Senior research projects have also made field and demographic studies of individual neighborhoods and examined the percent of land use change. In each of these studies, students worked closely with City and University staff and presented results at local forums, professional national meetings, and on the World Wide Web. These service-learning projects have received positive feedback from the students, city officials, and community members.

How modern technology can meet needs of modern learning in geoscience

Jonny Hesthammer, formerly with Statoil and now a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bergen, is a leading advocate of modern learning techniques for geoscience education. In this article he describes how new technologies can be adapted to meet the needs of both students and those already employed in industry. Modern technology can change the way we learn. Used correctly, the technology can enhance learning, used wrongly, it may reduce the learning effect. This article describes modern learning in light of (a) problem-based learning, (b) organizing and administrating content, (c) interactive multimedia learning experiences, and (d) geosimulators (advanced flight simulators). Two geological field courses will be used to illustrate the concept. The field courses in structural geology and sequence stratigraphy were run in the areas of southeastern Utah and eastern Colorado. One of the courses was held for geoscience students at M.Sc. level, while the other course had participants from the petroleum industry. Both courses consisted of a pre-field course and the field course itself. During the course, participants worked in groups, solving problems related to general topic disciplines and petroleum industry value chain processes. The participants used geosimulators and e-learning modules (interactive, multimedia learning experiences) to acquire the necessary knowledge. The article presents results that have developed from a major collaboration effort between Statoil and all Norwegian universities, called the Collaboration Agreement. The collaboration started in 1998, and Statoil annually spends approximately $3 million to strengthen learning both within the company and at the universities.

The Use of Critical Thinking Skills for Teaching Evolution in an Introductory Historical Geology Course

Teaching students to think critically remains a significant goal of science education. In my recent introductory Historical Geology class, I used the evolution-creation controversy as a means to introduce students to the scientific method by having them write a paper that summarized the arguments used by those who took a viewpoint opposite to their own. The original plan was to have a second paper in which students attempt to refute all the arguments in their first paper (and hence argue for their original view), but the quality of papers was so variable that the design was modified so that students were then asked what they learned through the exercise.The results indicate that most students learned about the controversy and focused their views on where they stood. Only four of sixteen students did not change their views, although those students who were more extreme in their views were less likely to change their views significantly. Almost all students explicitly stated that they valued the learning experience and being forced to critically evaluate their own views, even if it was a painful exercise.

Research Methodologies in Science Education: Training Graduate Teaching Assistants to Teach

Jason, a junior faculty member in a geoscience department, has been asked by his chair to take over the training of graduate teaching assistants in the department. He was chosen mainly because he has attended a few teaching workshops and has been trying some new teaching approaches in his introductory geology course. Jason is not sure how one should structure a program to build graduate students' teaching skills. He begins with a literature search in the science education literature to find what other science departments are doing to prepare graduate students for their teaching roles. What are the key items that should be in a professional development program for graduate student instructors? He quickly finds that although many science departments have published articles describing their approach to developing graduate students' teaching skills, very few of these programs have ever been evaluated. So Jason starts a more general search through the literature focusing on teaching approaches that have some research base. His plan is to build a professional development program for graduate student instructors around research-based approaches. In this column, we chronicle Jason's progress, summarize the research in this area and highlight the areas where more research is needed. Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) play a prominent role in undergraduate education at higher education institutions. They are frequently utilized to instruct courses in a cost efficient manner, with the rationale that the experience will prepare them for careers in academia. In fact, GTAs instruct the majority of undergraduate laboratories and discussion sections at research universities (Travers, 1989). As instructors, GTAs frequently make instructional, curricular, and assessment decisions throughout their courses. They decide how information should be presented, what concepts should be emphasized, and how to evaluate student work. Unfortunately, GTAs often make these decisions with little guidance from faculty. By involving GTAs in college science education reform now, we can advance reform efforts, both in the short term, by increasing the quality of instruction in undergraduate science laboratories and discussion sections, and in the long term, when these graduates move on to permanent faculty positions and develop and teach both undergraduate and/or graduate courses. Regrettably, GTAs are often subjected to training programs that offer limited instructional support regarding the teaching of science (Carroll, 1980; Rushin et al., 1997; Golde and Dore, 2001) and they often experience limited support for developing their teaching skills from their departments or advisors (Jones, 1993; Golde and Dore, 2001). In a recent study that surveyed over 4000 doctoral students across disciplines from 27 universities in the U.S., 83% of doctoral students responding to the survey cited enjoyment of teaching as their main reason for pursuing a faculty career (as opposed to 72% who cited enjoyment of research as the primary reason), yet most students lamented the lack of training they received to develop their teaching skills (Golde and Dore, 2001; full text of the report is available online at http://www.phd-survey.org). This comment is representative of many doctoral students in the sciences: have always considered teaching my main reason for pursuing an academic degree. I am amazed at how little preparation I am receiving in how to teach. I am still planning on pursuing a teaching position but am filling in the gaps in education and preparation on my own time with little encouragement from my academic program - quote from a molecular biology doctoral student. (Golde and Dore, 2001) Literature on GTA Training Programs in the Sciences It is estimated that by 2014, 500,000 new professors will be teaching at American colleges and universities (Jones, 1993). Improving undergraduate education for current and future students will depend upon thoughtful and careful attention to the training of these future faculty members, especially in light of the fact that the reason many undergraduate students cite for abandoning science majors is poor teaching (Seymour and Hewitt, 1997). …

The role of field camp in an evolving geoscience curriculum in the United States

Many geoscience departments in the United States are reexamining their curricula in light of declining enrollments and shifting employment patterns. There has been a clear trend in geology-related industry away from mineral and petroleum geology and toward water supply, environmental remediation, and hazard mitigation. In response to these changes, many geology departments are embracing emerging subdisciplines such as biogeochemistry and remote sensing. Many are also adding new faculty and courses, integrating new technology into course labs, and growing into departments that address the full range of modern geoscience. With more universities encouraging or requiring geology students to take additional courses in calculus, differential equations, statistics, GIS, and computer programming, the composition of the geology core curriculum is in flux. Indeed, the requirements for a university degree in geology vary widely. While some departments offer several options and provide students flexibility to target their interests and career objectives, other departments cling firmly to the traditional core geology curriculum. The latter argue that a full suite of courses in physical geology, historical geology, mineralogy, structural geology, sedimentology, petrology, and paleontology are requisite background for any geoscience career. As programs struggle through this identity crisis, the relevance of the traditional geology field-mapping camp has also been called into question. Geology field camps typically entail a 6or 8-week intensive, on-site mapping exercise following the third year in university. Although most geoscientists will agree that field camp was an integral part of their own educational experience, we must evaluate how field camps address the current, evolving needs of our young scientists. This represents an important opportunity for the hydrogeologic community, which is particularly sensitive to geology’s movement towards theoretical and computational research, to help redefine the fieldcamp experience and support the integration of field hydrogeology into geoscience education. The relevance and role of geology field camp is on the minds of many geoscience educators (see, for example, C.N. Drummond’s editorial “Can field camps survive?” J Geosci Educ 49(4):336). At several recent conferences, I sought out colleagues from peer institutions and inquired about the role of field camps in their respective curricula. In return, I shared with them the views of my own department, which strongly encourages students to attend a field camp but does not require that they do so. This policy is based on several factors, including our own field-intensive course content, sensitivity to students’ finances, and our tradition of involving students in summer thesis research. As I was expecting, many schools’ curricula mandate that students attend a field camp; however, I was surprised to learn how many of these insist that the camp experience be focused solely on geologic mapping. For these schools, camps with significant coverage of hydrogeologic, geophysical, or geochemical field methods do not fulfill the degree requirement. One colleague even informed me that every year his department rejects students’ requests to attend “specialized” or “integrated” field camps. Overwhelmingly, the rationale that underlies this constraint is that geologic mapping is fundamental to the science of geology, no matter what geoscientific field a student later pursues. In this paradigm, other field methods are considered specializations better addressed in postgraduate school. The transition of geology field camps toward incorporation of new technology (e.g., GPS and GIS) and coverage of hydrogeologic, geophysical, and geochemical field methods closely parallels the evolution of geoscience departments in the United States; some are adapting quickly, others reluctantly, and some not at all. Well-established, specialized field experiences focus on topics such as hydrogeology (e.g., University of Minnesota and Western Michigan University), geophysics (such as SAGE, the Summer of Applied Geophysical Experience, sponsored by Los Alamos National Lab), and marine geology (e.g., the International Ocean Drilling Program). Other camps, such as Indiana University’s, supplement traditional mapping programs with modules Received: 7 March 2003 / Accepted: 9 March 2003 Published online: 2 April 2003

Folding&g: a research program transformed into a program for teaching

The program Folding&g was developed originally as a research tool in Structural Geology. Its adjustment to the environment of Windows 98-Me has simplified its utilization and permits its use as a didactic resource for teaching the process of natural folding. The program simulates the formation of folds developed by buckling, which appear at many scales from microscopic to kilometric, and are one of the most common geological structures. Different physical parameters, including, size, viscosity, either linear or power-law, and strain rate, and one or several competent layers, are introduced by the user to build a model that is shortened laterally to obtain folds of variable geometry, their characteristics depending on the parameters chosen. The program Folding&g is designed to be used as part of the exercises in elementary and advanced courses of Structural Geology, depending on the students’ curricula. For relatively simple models, it may also be used in a course of elementary Geology, as well as to train future teachers in Natural Sciences. The use of the program increases the efficiency of learning, since it may develop the abstraction ability necessary to understand key aspects of the process it simulates, upon increasing the attention of the students, their receptivity, their judgement and reasoning. That is to say, it favors and increases meaningful learning.

Essential Design Elements for Successful Online Courses

Over a 4-term period from Spring 2000 to Fall 2001 an introductory, non-majors geology course was offered online at Brooklyn College, and was the subject of a two-year case study of the experiences and attitudes of the enrolled students. Three major course design aspects appeared to be most important for developing a sense of comfort regardless of the specific content or delivery techniques: 1) familiarity with online learning; 2) navigation and link structure; and 3) communication. Iterative assessment and redevelopment of the course allowed for significant improvement in student comfort. Key points to consider when designing a web-based course include: 1) easing students into the new learning environment; 2) avoid complex networked navigation structures because simple, hierarchical navigation structures result in increased student comfort; 3) lead by example in email communication – email often and reply in a timely fashion; 4) let the computer act as a tutor in the form of interactive quizzes and tutorials; 5) be precise in the wording of all communication and instructions

GeoScape: An Instructional Rock Garden for Inquiry-Based Cooperative Learning Exercises in Introductory Geology Courses

GeoScape is a landscape design, consisting of colored gravel, strategically placed flagstone and boulders, and two vertical features that simulates the geology of some fictitious region (a combination of geologic features in Utah, Arizona and Nevada). The design incorporates many topographic and geologic concepts that introductory geology students are expected to understand. GeoScape is an educational tool employing “hands-on”, inquiry-based, and cooperative learning techniques to help students develop problem solving and critical thinking skills by applying their geologic knowledge to a simulated field situation. Students are charged with the task of producing topographic and geologic maps and a report on the geologic evolution of the area to help solve problems in resource exploration and geologic hazards. GeoScape illustrates three-dimensional geologic structures on a smaller scale to help students visualize concepts such as bedding tilt, plunging folds, unconformities, and stratigraphic principles. GeoScape can also be used to provide at least a simulated geologic field experience to disabled students or students taking evening classes who otherwise would be unable to participate in a traditional field exercise. GeoScape is relatively easy to build and could be constructed in a variety of areas where geologic exposures are scarce or field excursion resources are limited.

WALTHAM, T. 2002. Foundations of Engineering Geology, 2nd ed. vi + 92 pp. London, New York: Spon Press. Price £45.00 (hard covers). ISBN 0 415 25449 3.

This is an excellent book that will be invaluable not only as a textbook for students taking an engineering geology, geology or civil engineering course but also as a reference book/aide memoire in later years as they (and we more advanced practitioners) follow their careers. The relatively modest price for the hardback (£45) should be affordable by the meanest librarian and, at £13.99, the excellently priced paperback leaves no excuse for the most hard-pressed student to ignore this mine of information. Its great strength is its comprehensive coverage of the essential facts, techniques and data that form the core knowledge of engineering geology. Each topic is encompassed within a single or double A4 sheet, is well illustrated with clear black-and-white …

Sir Kingsley Charles Dunham. 2 January 1910 – 5 April 2001 Elected FRS 1955

The history of the Dunham family goes back to the researches of Kingsley Dunham's grandfather, Rev. Charles Dunham (1848–1942), a Methodist Minister and diarist who, at the age of 72, brought together facts and recollections of the Dunham family. Apparently the family migrated from East Anglia and settled in the Bedford area for 200 years, centred on the village of Shillington. By the middle of the nineteenth century the family were bootmakers and shoemakers and moved to north London. Kingsley Dunham's father, Ernest Pedder Dunham, was trained in estate management at the Duke of Bedford's office in Trafalgar Square, and in 1904 he was given a position in the Pitt-Rivers estate office at Hinton St Mary, Dorset. To here he brought his bride, Edith Agnes Humphreys, to live at Newton House, Sturminster Newton. The first child, Kingsley Charles Dunham, was born on 2 January 1910. The family's time in Dorset was short, because Ernest Dunham's post came to an end in 1913 and be obtained a new appointment at Lord Boyne's estate office at Brancepeth near Durham. Although this estate was later sold to the Duke of Westminster, Ernest Dunham stayed on as agent throughout his career. Kingsley Dunham's mother Edith was a trained schoolteacher and chapel organist, and she gave him the foundations of his education and an introduction to music. Aged seven years he joined the school on the estate, Brancepeth Village School. Here he was well prepared to sit for a County Scholarship in the spring of 1921, when he was 11 years old. Dunham won the scholarship and entrance to the Durham Johnston School, a notable secondary school in the district. The teaching at the Johnston School was extremely efficient and he flourished, developing a particular interest in physical science and mathematics. His hobby was music and he was taught the organ at Durham Cathedral by the Canon Precentor, A.D. Culley. He was also a chorister at St Brandon's Church, Brancepeth, for five years, where, despite his Methodist background, the liturgy of the Anglican prayerbook made a deep and lasting impression. He was head of school in 1927 and sat for a Durham University Open Foundation Scholarship, winning a junior award. Thus, early in October 1927, aged 171/2, Dunham went up to Hatfield College, University of Durham, a scholar and later organ scholar. He was advised to read honours in chemistry with two auxiliary subjects, for which he chose physics and geology. The chemistry course was enjoyable, but the real joy was the geology course, with lectures on physical fundamentals given by Professor Arthur Holmes (FRS 1942) and practical work and fieldwork with Dr William Hopkins. The geology course and particularly the fieldwork proved to be life changing. At the end of the first year, Dunham was encouraged to continue with geology and found himself the only honours candidate in geology in his year, with almost individual attention from Professor Holmes and Dr Hopkins.

Research Methodologies in Science Education: Mental Models and Cognition in Education

It is summer break and Angela is preparing her syllabus for a new introductory level geology course. She has decided to approach the course by laying the foundations for the Theory of Plate Tectonics, and then teaching about a variety of geologic processes from a plate tectonics perspective. While designing this new course, Angela has been reading about cognition and mental models, and has begun thinking about how her students will understand the geological processes that she is planning to cover. Angela wonders: "How can I ensure that my students are learning the Theory of Plate Tectonics as geologists understand it? How do I ensure that students don't adopt mental models to help explain plate tectonics that are actually incorrect and confounding rather than explanatory?"

Oral histories in meteoritics and planetary science: VI. Stuart Ross Taylor

Abstract— In this interview, Ross Taylor describes how his interest in planetary science was aroused by proofreading Brian Mason's book on geochemistry. Born and raised in New Zealand, Ross majored in chemistry at Canterbury College in Christchurch. While there, he took a course in geology and was strongly tempted to change his major, but he resolved the problem by becoming a geochemist. For his doctoral studies, Ross joined Mason at Indiana University where he learned the basics of trace element analysis on the emission spectrograph. Subsequently, he set up emission spectrographic laboratories and used them to pursue his research at Oxford University and the University of Cape Town. As techniques became more sensitive, he set up a spark‐source mass spectrograph at the Australian National University in Canberra. Ross always has retained an interest in terrestrial rocks, but he is most widely known for his investigations of tektites and lunar rocks. He became one of the earliest and strongest advocates of tektites as molten terrestrial sediments sent aloft by high‐energy impacts. As a member of the preliminary examination team that analyzed the samples returned by the Apollo missions, Ross gained an intimate knowledge of lunar chemistry and petrology and wrote three books about the Moon. He also has written a book about the chemical evolution of the solar system, a topic on which such rapid progress was made in 10 years that his second edition is practically a different book from the first one. Ross has written Destiny or Chance, a philosophical consideration of the likelihood that as sentient beings we may well be alone in the universe. Ross served as the president of The Meteoritical Society in 1989 and 1990, and at its annual meeting in Dublin, Ireland, in 1998, the Society presented him with its Leonard Medal.