2022 Faculty Retirement Celebration

Dr. John Bartley has been a member of the University of Utah for 35 years as a member of the Department of Geology and Geophysics.  Twice he has served as chair of the department:  from 1995 to 1999 and then again from 2013 to 2016.  He has been deeply involved in undergraduate teaching, especially in the key courses of our undergraduate curriculum (Structural Geology and Geology Field Camp).  He has published more than 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals.  Bartley has worked on varied problems in field-based structural geology and regional tectonics. Recent field research has particularly focused on processes during the growth of igneous intrusions and involves field studies in the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Mountains. Other research has concerned the Cordilleran orogen of the western U.S., including (1) the origins of low-angle normal faults and of the metamorphic core complexes thus generated, (2) time-space patterns of magmatism and tectonism, and implications for models for continental extension, (3) Mesozoic contractional systems and their relations to subsequent extensional tectonics, and (4) Cretaceous to Recent, dextral transpressional tectonics in the southwestern United States

Dr. John Bowman has been a member of the University of Utah for 43 years as a member of the Department of Geology and Geophysics.  He has been deeply involved in undergraduate teaching, especially in the key courses of our undergraduate curriculum (Introductory Geology, Metamorphic Petrology, Thermodynamics).  He has won many teaching awards, both at the department and at the university level.  He has published more than 65 papers in peer-reviewed journals, principally in the area of isotope geology, metamorphic petrology, and Utah geology, especially as relating to the Alta Stock. His primary research interests center on fluid-rock interactions and the mechanisms and rates of reaction during metamorphism of crustal rocks. He is also interested in applications of geothermobarometry in metamorphic systems. In more recent years, in collaboration with colleagues at Utah and other institutions, he became interested in the utility of accessory phases such as zircon as monitors of the thermal and compositional evolution of crust over time, and in the mechanisms and timescales of assembly of igneous intrusions. His approach to research was multi-disciplinary, combining field observations, petrography, chemical and stable isotope analysis (mass spectrometry, electron microprobe), thermodynamic calculations and heat/mass transport modeling. These approaches have been amplified recently with quantitative textural analyses including measurements of crystal size distributions (CSD) and spatial dispositions, and ion microprobe (SIMS) analyses of isotopes (U, Pb, O) and trace elements (Ti, REE).

For two decades, Dr. David Dinter has been one of our most popular instructors and has been a key contributor to GG undergraduate courses including several large enrollment intro courses, GG core courses, field methods and summer field, developing the new GEO2500 course, and more. David’s support via his hundreds of written letters of support for students seeking graduate school admissions and scholarships have been pivotal for many student careers. In addition, Dr. Dinter has been involved in outreach, served on department committees, and is a regular supporter of our Distinguished Lecturer Series. Dr. Dinter has a long-standing investment in paleoseismic studies in the Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake and plans to focus on these efforts during his retirement. He also has ongoing projects involving a possible Jurassic bolide impact site in southern Utah, and a previously undocumented late Pleistocene marine ice sheet in the Beaufort Sea. Previously he served on the board and as chair for Science Planning Committee for the DOSECC (Drilling, Observation and Sampling of the Earths Continental Crust), which provided leadership and technical support in subsurface sampling and monitoring technology for addressing topics of scientific and societal importance

Dr. Barbara Nash served the department and university 50 years as a faculty member, past department chair, and as a researcher in volcanology and analytical geochemistry. In addition, she recently served as Associate Dean for Research for the College of Mines and Earth Sciences. She is well respected by her professional community for key contributions concerning a host of topics ranging from the thermodynamics of minerals in volcanic rocks to correlation of volcanic ashes of the Yellowstone region to characterization of obsidians in Ethiopia to the characterization of many new minerals. Over the many years in the department, she has been one of the key members of the geochemistry group; her leadership helped to establish this group as one of the world leaders in the geochemical characterization of rocks, minerals, biological and man-made materials. In all, she has been associated with the discovery and characterization of 90 newly recognized minerals on Earth. And in 2013, one of these minerals was named in her honor - "Nashite" (New Mineral Named for U Geologist – https://archive.unews.utah.edu/news_releases/new-mineral-named-for-u-geologist), Dr. Nash taught a variety of classes from the graduate level to the undergraduate level for majors and non-majors alike, including developing a course on Transgender Studies in the Gender Studies Program. Additionally, over her past 20 years as a faculty member, Dr. Nash was instrumental in changing attitudes and policies affecting LGBT students, faculty, and staff at the University and within the state of Utah. A significant outcome was the adoption of a non-discrimination policy by the University of Utah that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Dr. Nash has lectured widely on the subject of LGBT inclusion and social justice, gender and the formulation of public policy

Dr. Erich Petersen served the department and university for 36 years.  He has been deeply involved in undergraduate teaching, especially in the key courses of our undergraduate curriculum (Introductory Geology, Economic Geology). He was especially known for his enthusiastic leadership in field trips for students, both within western USA but also in South America – he led more than 60 conference and society field trips, and many more as part of this teaching of undergraduates. He was the advisor for the department's chapter of Society of Economic Geologists and he continues to be active with the group at an international level.  He served as mentor for many undergraduates doing undergraduate theses.  He has published more than 45 papers in peer-reviewed journals, principally in the area of mineralogy, economic geology and field guides.