RETIREMENTS IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The ESS Department extends our sincere gratitude to our Emeritus Faculty for their remarkable service and lasting impact on our community. Your dedication, expertise, and commitment to excellence have shaped the lives of countless students and enriched our department. Your legacy continues to inspire both faculty and students alike, and we are deeply appreciative of the foundation you have built. Thank you for your contributions and for being a vital part of our journey.

We would also like to extend our gratitude to Professor Emerita and unofficial Department Historian Jody Bourgeois for her invaluable assistance in gathering the information necessary to compile these biographies. We greatly appreciate her time and guidance.

You can read a detailed account of Department History here.

Kathy Troost

Teaching Professor Emerita

12 YEARS AT ESS

Kathy Troost brought her skills from a career at Shannon & Wilson to help develop and lead ESS’ MESSAGe program. Founder of GeoMapNW, she has directed the production of highly detailed geologic maps of the Seattle region; her knowledge of regional geology is unsurpassed.

George Bergantz

Professor Emeritus

36 YEARS AT ESS

An expert on the physics of magmas – especially of granite – George Bergantz was recently awarded AGU’s William Bowie Medal for his career contributions to science and scientific collaboration. He has also taught innumerable students in the course “Living with Volcanoes.”

Ron Sletten

Research Professor Emeritus

27 YEARS AT ESS

Ron Sletten’s expertise lies in the complex physico-bio-geochemistry of soils. Focused on cold-climate soil processes, Ron’s research and field areas have ranged from Antarctica and Svalbard to Gale Crater on Mars and the flanks of Mauna Loa.

Paul Bodin

Research Professor Emeritus

18 YEARS AT ESS

Seismologist Paul Bodin joined ESS from the University of Memphis to become manager of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. His research has spanned topics such as earthquake source physics and specific site responses (e.g. soil liquefaction) to earthquake shaking.

J. Michael Brown

Professor Emeritus

40 YEARS AT ESS

Mineral physicist Mike Brown studies the formation and transformation of minerals at high pressures – conditions that exist deep in the Earth. Mike was instrumental in the merger of Geophysics and Geological Sciences – ESS’ first chair – and in the renovation of Johnson Hall.

Bruce Nelson

Professor Emeritus

38 YEARS AT ESS

An isotope geochemist, Bruce Nelson established the Isotope Geochemistry Laboratory in the department, applying analyses to a range of problems from the origin and evolution of continental crust to the tracing of human-sourced toxic metals accumulating in Puget Sound.

Ed Waddington

Professor Emeritus

33 YEARS AT ESS

Glaciologist Ed Waddington studies the way that glacier ice forms from snow, and how that ice then accumulates and deforms – work that has made key contributions to interpreting long paleoclimate records from polar ice cores from Antarctica and Greenland.

Ken Creager

Professor Emeritus

38 YEARS AT ESS

Seismologist Ken Creager’s career has spanned research on the Earth’s core to the structure of subduction zones such as our own Cascadia. Recently, he has spearheaded much of the work on episodic “slow slip and tremor” at the boundary between subducting and overriding plates.

Howard Conway

Research Professor Emeritus

33 YEARS AT ESS

Glaciologist Howard “Twit” Conway has focused on the history and behavior of parts of the Antarctic ice sheet, especially the critical West Antarctic Ice Sheet. His work has also addressed the behavior of snow, including conditions under which avalanches occur.

Robert Holzworth

Professor Emeritus

42 YEARS AT ESS

Atmospheric and space physicist Bob Holzworth studies the influence of lightning and other phenomena on the upper atmosphere and beyond. He founded and directs the World Wide Lightning Location Network, which each year locates over 200 million lightning strikes globally and in real time.

Charles Nittrouer

Professor Emeritus

26 YEARS AT ESS

Geological oceanographer Chuck Nittrouer has led expeditions to study continental margins around the world, focused on their sedimentology and stratigraphy. He has been instrumental in developing several large funding initiatives bridging land-to-sea, or “source to sink.”

Bernard Hallet

Professor Emeritus

43 YEARS AT ESS

Physical geologist Bernard Hallet has applied physico-chemical principles to a variety of geological and geomorphic problems on Earth as well as on Mars. He was initially brought to UW’s QRC to establish a laboratory for the study of periglacial processes.

Heidi Houston

Professor Emerita

12 YEARS AT ESS

Geophysicist Heidi Houston has focused on earthquake physics and fault mechanics, particularly as associated with subduction zones, including very large earthquakes, deep earthquakes and tremor. She retired from UW to continue her career at USC.

Darrel Cowan

Professor Emeritus

50 YEARS AT ESS

Structural geologist Darrel Cowan studies the evidence of plate tectonics (e.g. subduction- generated melange) in rocks. Recent work has focused on the allochthonous terrane of Baja B.C. and on geologic history and faulting in Death Valley – where he has taken many students.

Jody Bourgeois

Professor Emerita

44 YEARS AT ESS

Sedimentary geologist Jody Bourgeois reconstructs events and environments in sediments and sedimentary rocks, particularly in marine and coastal settings. She helped establish the field of tsunami geology. Jody has also studied and taught in the history of geology.

Robert Odom

Research Associate Professor Emeritus

31 YEARS AT ESS

Geophysicist Bob Odom is an expert on acoustic and elastic wave propagation. These studies help define structure and motion within ocean waters, as well as on the sea bed and, in some cases, the overlying ice. Bob has worked much of his career at the UW Applied Physics Laboratory.

Alan Gillespie

Research Professor Emeritus

39 YEARS AT ESS

Quaternary geologist Alan Gillespie is an expert in remote sensing methods, which he has used to study a range of surface processes, from histories of desert alluvial fans to glacial advance and retreat in Asia, to the geomorphology of Valles Marineris on Mars.

Steve Warren

Professor Emeritus

43 YEARS AT ESS

Atmospheric scientist and climatologist Steve Warren is well known for his studies of albedo – how the sun’s radiation is reflected (e.g. by clouds, snow and ice). He has applied this expertise in examining possible scenarios for “snowball Earth” – times the Earth nearly froze.

John Booker

Professor Emeritus

53 YEARS AT ESS

Geophysicist John Booker earned AGU’s William Gilbert Award for his career of work measuring geomagnetic induction to elucidate Earth’s lithospheric and mantle structure. His studies have involved field campaigns in Cascadia, on the San Andreas fault, and in Tibet and Argentina.

Stanley Chernicoff

Senior Lecturer

27 YEARS AT ESS

Award-winning professor extraordinaire, Stan Chernicoff has taught and inspired on the order of 50,000 students. Other contributions include establishing the CLUE peer mentoring program, academic advising for UW athletes, and the recent podcast series “Extracurricular in Particular.”

Patricia Anderson

Research Professor Emerita

30 YEARS AT ESS

Palynologist Pat Anderson has applied her paleobotanical research to problems in archaeology, paleoclimatology, biostratigraphy and environmental reconstruction. Much of her work has been conducted in Beringia – the region from Alaska across to Chukotka in the Russian far east.

Stephen Malone

Research Professor Emeritus

39 YEARS AT ESS

With a career focused on volcanic seismology, Steve Malone was “at the right place at the right time” when Mount St. Helens “woke up.” Steve was instrumental in developing and growing the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network and in helping facilitate global sharing of seismic data.

Brian Swanson

Research Associate Professor Emeritus

27 YEARS AT ESS

Atmospheric physicist Brian Swanson has focused on ice in the atmosphere, such as the growth and sublimation of ice particles in the troposphere. He has also contributed his expertise to studies examining life in frozen environments – e.g. cold and salty water and ice.

Ron Merrill

Professor Emeritus

56 YEARS AT ESS

Geophysicist Ron Merrill is one of the world’s experts on the Earth’s magnetic field, including its generation and its history, as well as how the rock record of that history is used to reconstruct plate motions through time. Ron has authored technical and popular books on geomagnetism.

Eric Cheney

Professor Emeritus

60 YEARS AT ESS

Economic geologist Eric Cheney’s career includes working on metallic and nonmetallic ores, examining the social impacts of using Earth materials, and geologic mapping and history of the Pacific Northwest. Eric also introduced the concept of and named the ancient continent of Vaalbara.

Robert Crosson

Professor Emeritus

58 YEARS AT ESS

Seismologist Bob Crosson conducted some of the earliest modern studies of the deeper structure and tectonics of the Puget Sound region, as well as the Washington Cascades, using seismic velocities. Bob helped establish the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.

Marcia Baker

Professor Emerita

44 YEARS AT ESS

Atmospheric geophysicist Marcia Baker’s myriad studies of different aspects of cloud physics have included work on droplet formation, turbulent mixing and conditions that lead to lightning. Her research has important implications for climate modeling.

Charles Raymond

Professor Emeritus

55 YEARS AT ESS

Glaciologist Charlie Raymond is an expert on the dynamics of glaciers and ice sheets – how glaciers deform and flow, how they interact with the terrain and how they are related to Earth’s climate. Charlie was awarded the Louis Agassiz Medal of the European Geophysical Society.

Bernard Evans

Professor Emeritus

55 YEARS AT ESS

Metamorphic and igneous mineralogist and petrologist Bernard Evans has led a distinguished career studying how the details of a rock’s structure and chemistry generate “big picture” stories of Earth’s crustal evolution. In 2023 a new mineral was named bernardevansite in his honor.

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