Robert P. Sharp
Robert Phillip Sharp (24 June 1911 – 25 May 2004) was an American
Biography
Sharp specialized in
Biography and education
Sharp was a native son of Oxnard, California. He attended Caltech as an undergraduate, beginning in 1930, earning a bachelor's degree (1934) in geology, and master's degree (1935) in geology. While at Caltech, he was quarterback on the football team.
He received a doctorate at Harvard University for a doctorate (1938) in geology under Professor Kirk Bryan.[5]
Career
Sharp served in the
Sharp was briefly an instructor in geology at the
Research
Sharp became a published expert on the glacial geomorphology of the Sierra Nevada range, the Trinity Alps of northwestern California, the
He was an expert on the physics of blown sand and the formation of sand dunes in the Mojave Desert and the Coachella Valley. He was awarded the Kirk Bryan Award by the Geological Society of America for his work on the geomorphology of sand dunes in desert terrain.
Sharp loved weekend field trips, and so he authored a number of field books in geology of southern California, published by Mountain Press. While in his sixties, Sharp continued to teach field geology to Caltech geology students during summer classes at Henry Mountain in Utah, where Grove Karl Gilbert discovered laccoliths.
After retiring from Caltech, Sharp and his wife Jean moved their home from Altadena to Santa Barbara. They had two children.
Awards and honors
- Robert Sharp was a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences and received the National Medal of Science in 1989.
- He won the Penrose Medal from the Geological Society of America, its highest honor.
- Sharp was honored by Caltech as the first named professorship in geology: the Robert Phillip Sharp Chair in Geology.
- The Hungaria asteroid M.P.C. 24917).[6]
- On March 28, 2012, a neighboring crater was instead named after the scientist.[8]
See also
- List of craters on Mars
- List of mountains on Mars
- List of mountains on Mars by height
References
- ^ Nagourney, Eric (14 June 2004). "Robert Sharp Dies at 92; Linked Study of Planets". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ^ Staff (28 May 2004). "Robert P. Sharp, 92; Expert on Surfaces of Earth and Mars". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
- .
- ^ Staff (2009). "Guide to the Papers of Robert P. Sharp, 1933-1996". California Institute of Technology. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ NASA Staff (6 Aug 2012). "NASA Lands Car-Size Rover Beside Martian Mountain". NASA. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ^ USGS (16 May 2012). "Three New Names Approved for Features on Mars". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 28 May 2012.