about

As a faculty member and curator of gemstones and minerals at a U.S. university for over two decades, I’ve interpreted the significance of natural objects and contemplated their innate beauty. My career in geological research and education took me to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Australia, and Singapore experiencing different cultures and way of seeing the world. Today, I hold a fairly holistic view of Earth.

I’m author of 13 peer-reviewed papers in academic journals, as well as over 110 published abstracts at professional meetings on topics of geoscience, art and science, writing-across-the-curriculum, educational technology, and the museum profession. I have written and/or contributed to 23 successful grant proposals totaling over $5m. One paper won the Best Paper Award in the publication Rocks and Minerals, and anecdotally, my co-authored article Geodesy in the 21st Century saved NASA’s Earth Mission budget in 2009, which, if true, would be one of my finest achievements.

My essay Joy, was selected as a finalist in the non-fiction category of the 2025 San Francisco Writers Conference writing competition.

• Fellow of the Geological Society of America
• Member of The American Geophysical Union
• Patron member of Ethical Metalsmiths

I support various non-profits who work on behalf of civil rights and the fight against hate.