Robert P. Sharp
Robert Phillip Sharp (born June 24, 1911 in Oxnard , California , † May 25, 2004 in Santa Barbara , California) was an American geologist. He was a professor at Caltech , whose faculty of geology he headed from 1952 to 1968.
Sharp graduated from Caltech, where he was a student quarterback in American football . In 1938 he received his PhD in geology from Harvard University . During World War II he undertook field studies in the Aleutian Islands , where he officially tested polar clothing. He was briefly an assistant professor at the University of Michigan before teaching at Caltech from 1952. In 1979 he retired .
He was particularly concerned with the geomorphology of glaciers , the geology of the Basin and Range Province in California and was an expert on sand dunes . He also took care of the establishment of planetary geology at Caltech and did research himself as a team member of NASA's first Mars missions .
In 1977 he received the Penrose Medal . In 1989 he received the National Medal of Science . In 2012, Mount Sharp was named after him on Mars. In addition, the Sharp Glacier in Antarctica has been named after him since 1961 .
In 1971 Sharp was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences , in 1973 to the National Academy of Sciences .
Web links
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Sharp, Robert P. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Sharp, Robert Phillip (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American geologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 24, 1911 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Oxnard , California |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 25, 2004 |
| Place of death | Santa Barbara , California |