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 Monday, May 23, 2011 Scripps Geochemist Wins Francis Shepard Medal Miriam Kastner honored for her work in sedimentary chemistry Scripps Institution of Oceanography / University of California, San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego Professor of Geochemistry Miriam Kastner, a pioneer in the study of the chemistry of marine sediments, received the Francis Shepard Medal from the Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM).Kastner's research has taken her around the world to study sub-seafloor deposits, how sediments form and the process called diagenesis in which sedimentary deposits become rock.  SEPM President Paul "Mitch" Harris presents Miriam Kastner with the Francis Shepard Medal at the 2011 SEPM Annual Meeting in Houston. Image: SEPM According to the society's citation, Kastner was selected "In recognition of the geological and geochemical expertise she has employed in greatly enlarging our understanding of sediment deposition and diagenesis as well as fluid flow through sub-seafloor sediments and rocks, along with continuous high-level service to the marine geological community." Kastner became the first female professor in Scripps history when she joined the institution's faculty in 1972 as an assistant professor of geology. Prior to that she had received a doctorate in geology from Harvard University in 1970. She was appointed full professor at Scripps in 1982 and is also the first female distinguished professor in Scripps history. The SEPM award is named for Francis Shepard, a Scripps marine geologist noted for his work on submarine canyons. Shepard died in 1985. "Close to the completion of my Ph.D. degree at Harvard University, the possibility of getting a prime job in academia looked rather bleak for graduates of my gender," said Kastner. "Unexpectedly, I was fortunate to be the first woman to be invited to join the renowned faculty of Scripps, where I briefly met Francis Shepard, and this had a profound influence on my career. This position provided me with extraordinary possibilities to engage in new research with state-of-the-art facilities and great seagoing opportunities."  Kastner examines sediment cores aboard an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005. Kastner is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Geophysical Union, the Geochemical Society, and the International Association of Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, and a member of the Society of Sigma Xi. She has served on many national and international advisory committees. Beginning in 2002, Kastner was appointed to a three-year term on the National Research Council's Ocean Studies Board. She has been a panel member of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Earth Sciences and a member of NSF's Advisory Committee for Earth Sciences. She was a member of the Ocean Drilling Project's Planning Committee and Section E-Geology and Geography of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. "It is wonderful to see Miriam win this award named after an illustrious Scripps scholar," said Scripps Deputy Director of Research Cathy Constable. "She is a pioneer in many areas and an outstanding example for the rest of us." The society presented Kastner with the medal at its 2011 President's Reception and Awards Ceremony during the SEPM Annual Meeting held in Houston in April. # # # Note to broadcast and cable producers: University of California, San Diego provides an on-campus satellite uplink facility for live or pre-recorded television interviews. Please phone or e-mail the media contact listed above to arrange an interview.
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