Athens, Ga. – Paul Schroeder, professor and associate head of the department of geology at the University of Georgia, has been awarded the Marion L. and Chrystie M. Jackson Mid-Career Clay Scientist Award by the national Clay Minerals Society.
This award is made to recognize mid-career scientists for excellence in their contribution of new knowledge to clay minerals science through their original and scholarly research. The Clay Minerals Society is an international community of scientists who promote research in and disseminate information on clay science and technology. Its fields of inquiry are diverse and include, but are not limited to, mineralogy, geology, chemistry, materials science, engineering and soil science.
“I am honored because this society was created and is sustained by members with diverse backgrounds interested in nano-sized materials, long before the terms ‘multidisciplinary’ and ‘nano’ came into vogue,” said Schroeder. “Receiving this award is also a testament to the positive support I have had from the University of Georgia, my colleagues, students and family.”
The award will be presented to Schroeder at the Clay Minerals Society meeting in Santa Fe June 4-6. Schroeder will be awarded an honorarium of $1,000 and a travel stipend of $500.
Schroeder’s research centers around the detailed crystal-chemical characterization of minerals associated with hydrothermal, weathering and sedimentary environments. He is especially interested in how these minerals help explain geochemical conditions throughout earth history and serve as indicators of environmental change. Clay minerals are the most common and reactive solid components in the Earth’s surface.
Schroeder received his bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from New England College in 1978 and his master’s in marine science from the University of South Florida in 1981. He earned his doctoral degree in geology from Yale University in 1992. He has been at the University of Georgia since 1991.
In addition to his research, Schroeder teaches both undergraduate and graduate classes in such topics as “Earth materials,” “Earth processes and environments” and “Clay mineralogy and geochemistry.” He also teaches a first-year seminar called “White Gold: Georgia’s Billion-Dollar Kaolin Industry.”
