Morris W. "Brud" Leighton, Chief Emeritus of the Illinois Geological Survey

Morris W. "Brud" Leighton, Chief Emeritus of the Illinois Geological Survey passed on April 11, 2014 surrounded by his loving family in his home. A Service of Remembrance will be held at 10:30am, Wednesday, April 16 at Renner-Wikoff Chapel, 1900 S Philo Rd, Urbana. Brud was born in Urbana, Illinois on June 17, 1926, the son of Morris and Ada Leighton. He graduated from Urbana High School in 1944, and continued with his education at the University of Illinois earning a BS in Chemistry in 1947, and then at the University of Chicago he earned his MS in Geology in 1948 followed by his PHD in Geology in 1951.

He began his career with Standard Oil of New Jersey/Esso in Tulsa, Oklahoma, leading into a distinguished 32 year career as a geologist and manager which took him around the world with his high-school sweetheart and loving wife (Jean Bosley Leighton) and family in tow. Upon retirement from Esso, Brud began a second career serving the Illinois State Geological Survey as its chief for 11 years. Brud earned many awards and accolades over the span of his two careers. He has authored more than 75 published works. His forte in exploration for oil and gas, his deep understanding of the geologic phenomena of his surroundings, along with his thirst to experience the cultures around the world made him a most interesting person. His love of Urbana, the Fighting Illini, and the University of Illinois never abated with his generous, enthusiastic support. He also remained active with Urbana Rotary, the Illinois State Geological Survey, University of Illinois Department of Geology, Association of American State Geologists, Geological Society of America and American Association of Petroleum Geologists.

When he no longer participated in the sports he loved (tennis, golf, skiing) he continued to be an avid spectator enjoying football and basketball most. A loving father and grandpa, he will be sorely missed for he was a leader with the best sense of humor. A pun awaited at every opportunity. He filled the rest of his leisure time with extensive travels and found great satisfaction in maintaining his garden with a variety of flowers especially roses.

He is preceded in death by his wife Jean Bosley Leighton and brother Freeman Beach Leighton. He is survived by his brother (Richard), his three daughters (Randi, Kathy, Kari), two son-in-laws (Jim, Mike), and four grandchildren (Mike, Steve, Kami & Rachel).

Donations may be made to American Cancer Society or United Way Champaign County (Illinois).

[Reprinted from The News-Gazette newspaper]

Dr Walt Schmidt, retired State Geologist of Florida

It is with sadness that I share news of the passing of Dr. Walt Schmidt, retired Director and State Geologist at the Florida Geological Survey. I received a call last night from Walt's wife, Cheryl, who shared with me that he died peacefully, surrounded by family in his home. Walt's passion, dedication and gracious leadership inspired those he led as he served as FGS as Director for 21 years. He will truly be missed.

For those wishing to attend, details are forthcoming regarding his memorial service.  [Photo credit, FGS]

[update 3-31-14, 8:58pm]:
A memorial service is planned for Saturday, April 5th at 1:00 PM at Culley's Funeral Home in Tallahassee, Florida.

Posted by
Jon Arthur, Director and State Geologist
Office of the Florida Geological Survey
Florida Department of Environmental Protection

A short bio of Walt is posted on the American Geosciences Institute website at  http://www.agiweb.org/workforce/profiles/bios/wsbio.html

[update 4-2-14, 9:20 am] 
 

Please see below a link to Walt’s obituary, which includes service information.  A link is also provided to an online guestbook through which you can post notes to the family. 

Obituary

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/tallahassee/obituary.aspx?pid=170453663

Guest Book

http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Walter-Schmidt&lc=2326&pid=170428020&mid=5911812&Affiliate=tallahassee&PersonID=170453663&FHID=4646

Economic Geology position - Nevada

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR - Economic Geology

The Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology (NBMG) at the University of Nevada, Reno seeks applicants for a tenure-track faculty position focused on hydrothermal mineral deposits. NBMG is a research and public service unit of the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) and the state geological survey. Managed as part of the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering in
the College of Science at UNR, NBMG functions as an academic unit, and its principal scientists are tenure-track faculty members. Nevada is one of the most exciting regions in the world to do research in the geosciences and the best in the U.S. for the study of hydrothermal mineral deposits.

Interested applicants must have a doctorate in geology or a related geoscience field by the time
of hire and a demonstrated record of research on topics related to hydrothermal mineral deposits
as indicated by dissertation research or peer-reviewed publications. Excellent communication
skills, as demonstrated in written application materials; commitment to public service; potential
for, or established record of publications; and ability to attract funding are essential. Doctoral
research must include one or more of the following disciplines: economic geology, structural
geology, igneous petrology, and geochemistry.

Additional preferred qualifications include: 1) industrial or academic experience in hydrothermal
minerals deposits, particularly in field-based studies in a variety of geological settings; 2)
expertise in structural geology, geologic mapping, and active hydrothermal systems (geothermal
activity); 3) research productivity with publications in the peer-reviewed literature; 4) achievable
plans for funded research on Nevada-focused topics in economic geology and geothermal
energy, as described in the applicant’s letter of interest; and 5) both an understanding of and
interest in contributing to the role of a state geological survey on issues related to mineral
deposits and other resources, beyond basic scientific research.

Position responsibilities and expectations include: 1) working independently as well as
collaborating with NBMG faculty-staff, faculty in other geoscience units at UNR and UNLV,
and others in industry and government in developing funded projects and conducting research; 2)
contributing to the development of datasets and reports on Nevada’s mineral and energy
resources, including resource assessments; 3) communicating effectively with the public and
community leaders regarding the geology of Nevada and its mineral and energy resources; 4)
focusing research on mineral deposits in Nevada; and 5) supervising graduate students and
teaching undergraduate and graduate classes.

The position will be a tenure-track faculty appointment with an academic-year base salary that is
competitive with other research universities. Starting date will be July 1, 2014 or shortly
thereafter, depending on availability of the successful candidate.

To apply, please visit: https://www.unrsearch.com/postings/13967. Please complete the online
application and upload a letter expressing your interest in the position and research plans; a
complete vita; contact information (names, e-mail and postal addresses, and telephone numbers)
for at least three references; and electronic copies of up to three of your publications.

Additionally, applicants must submit examples of geologic mapping related to mineral deposits
that they have conducted with their application materials. To ensure full consideration, all
information must be submitted by March 24, 2014. For further information about NBMG, please
consult our website (http://www.nbmg.unr.edu).

Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action. Women and underrepresented groups are
encouraged to apply.

Recruiting for State Geologist-Chief Geologist in Alaska

Digital Mapping Techniques Workshop to be hosted by Delaware Geological Survey

The Delaware Geological Survey will be hosting the 2014 Digital Mapping Techniques meeting. The meeting dates are June 1-4, 2014. 

Below is an announcement of the meeting from Dave Soller (USGS) who runs the National Geologic Map Database.  Mapping and spatial technology is evolving fast, so the meeting is a great opportunity for geological survey staff to learn and share new things, and transfer technology to colleagues and friends:

The meeting will be held at the conference center on the University of Delaware’s campus, which is a short walk to downtown where many coffee shops, pubs, and eateries can be found. The meeting site will be very accessible and affordable, with 3 airports within 50 miles (with discount carriers Southwest, Frontier, and Jet Blue), regional rail service (MARC and SEPTA), and Amtrak stations minutes away; and a confluence of major east-coast interstate highways all passing through or intersecting near Newark, Delaware. We are looking forward to welcoming you and/or your staff in June!

DMT'14

(1)  Date and location:

            -  June 1-4, 2014

            -  University of Delaware (in Newark)

(2)  Registration and meeting website:

            -  http://www.dgs.udel.edu/digital-mapping-techniques-2014-workshop

            -  We anticipate that Registration at that site will open in January.  I will send you a notice when it's available.

(3)  General plan for the agenda:

Sunday, June 1 -- the meeting begins in late afternoon - early evening, very casually as usual, with an icebreaker.  Poster setup may be possible during this time (we'll verify this…).

Monday, June 2 -- Oral presentations and Discussion Sessions in the morning and early afternoon.  Poster session, "Map Blast", and snacks in mid-afternoon through early evening.

Tuesday, June 3 -- Oral presentations and Discussion Sessions in the morning and afternoon.

Wednesday, June 4 -- we'll conclude (by noon) with informal discussions and presentations. 

(4)  Presentations and DIscussion Sessions:

-  If you'd like to give a presentation (oral and/or poster), please contact me by email or phone.  The following information is very helpful before we chat, and I'll need it for the final agenda:

- Title

- Author(s)

- Affiliation(s)

- a "blurb", just a few sentences, describing the subject of your talk.

-  Before the end of January, I will post to the meeting Web site the Instructions to Authors.

-  Regarding topics for the Discussion Sessions, please suggest things you'd like to discuss.  They could be subjects for a relatively quick discussion (e.g., <30 90="" challenging="" general="" minutes.="" minutes="" more="" or="" p="" that="" to="" topics="" up="" warrant="">

Even if you can't attend the meeting, we welcome your ideas and guidance regarding topics that you find most significant, and we'll try to work them into the agenda.