Edward M. Stolper, Caltech's provost and William E. Leonhard Professor of Geology, has been named the recipient of the Geochemical Society's V. M. Goldschmidt Award for 2012, the highest award of the international geochemical community. The recipient of this award is chosen annually "for achievements in geochemistry or cosmochemistry, consisting of either a single outstanding contribution or a series of publications that have has great influence on the field." Previous Caltech faculty recipients have been Sam Epstein, Clair Patterson, and G.J. Wasserburg.
Stolper's research interests center on studies of the origin and evolution of igneous rocks on the earth and other planets using experiment, theory, and field studies. Recent focuses include studies of Hawaii and other hot spot volcanoes, theory and modeling of the thermodynamics of the melting of planetary interiors, the petrology of Martian meteorites, and the role of volatiles in igneous processes.
