UT Martin to host lecture by scientist

The Messenger 03.27.09

Dr. Robert M. Hazen, one of the most versatile scientists active today, will speak in Watkins Auditorium of Boling University Center on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Martin at 7:30 p.m Thursday.

His lecture title is “Genesis: The Scientific Quest for Life’s Origins.”

In addition to being part of the Academic Speakers Series, sponsored by UT Martin Honors Programs, Hazen will also appear as a Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer.

After earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in earth science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Hazen completed his doctorate in mineralogy and crystallography at Harvard University. He received a NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship at Cambridge University in England before returning to the United States and beginning his association with the Carnegie Institution in 1978. Since 1989, he has held joint appointments with the Carnegie Institution and as Clarence Robinson Professor of Earth Science at George Mason University.

Hazen is the author of more than 20 books and more than 330 articles on science, history and music. His works demonstrate an ability to speak to both scholars and the general public. His scholarly works include “Comparative Crystal Chemistry” (1982) and “High-Temperature and High-Pressure Crystal Chemistry” (2000).

Some of his books directed to the general audience include “The Breakthrough: The Race for the Supercomputer” (1988); “Why Aren’t Black Holes Black: Unanswered Questions at the Frontiers of Science” (1998); “Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy” (1991), which sold more than 200,000 copies and has been translated into a dozen languages; and, most recently, “Genesis: The Scientific Quest for Life’s Origins” (2005).

Hazen is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is a former president of the Mineralogical Society of America (2004-05). He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Mineralogical Society of America Award (1982), the American Chemical Society Ipatieff Prize (1986), the Educational Press Association Award (1992) and the Elizabeth Wood Science Writing Award (1998). In addition, he sits on several boards and committees, many of which strive to expand the scientific knowledge of Americans, including NOVA, Encyclopedia Americana and the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Revising Science and Creationism.

In addition to his work in the sciences, Hazen is an accomplished professional trumpeter who has performed with numerous ensembles around the world, including the Metropolitan, New York City, Boston and Washington operas, the Bolshoi and Kirov ballets, the Boston and National symphonies and the Orchestre of Paris. He has sat on the board of directors of the National Philharmonic Orchestra since 2003.

“Robert Hazen is truly a Renaissance Man, with great talent in a variety of areas. He is among the most prominent scientists in the United States today, one whose curiosity is evident from the wide variety of his interests,” said Dr. Dan McDonough, Honors Programs director.

“We will explore the fruits of his latest work and examine the origins of life. As a member of the committee to revise the National Academy of Sciences standards on evolution, Dr. Hazen has played an important role in the area of evolution and creationism. His thoughts upon these matters should be both enlightening and provocative.”

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