Newsroom

CORVALLIS, Ore. - John Grotzinger, a geologist, geochemist and planetary scientist from the California Institute of Technology, will speak about exploration on Mars at the 2016 Thomas Condon Lecture Tuesday, Oct. 4, at Oregon State University.

The goal of the Condon Lecture, named after a pioneer of Oregon geology, is to interpret significant scientific research for non-scientists. The lecture, "Curiosity's Mission of Exploration at Gale Crater, Mars" is designed for a general audience.

The event begins at 7 p.m. in Austin Auditorium of LaSells Stewart Center, 875 S.W. 26th St., Corvallis. Refreshments will be served at a reception beginning at 6:15 p.m.

Grotzinger is the Fletcher Jones Professor and chair in the division of geological and planetary sciences at California Institute of Technology. He served at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as project scientist for the Mars Science Lab mission from 2006 to 2014, and directed the successful deployment of the Mars Curiosity Rover. 

Grotzinger is known for his work on Precambrian sedimentary rocks, especially from the "Snowball Earth" period. He conducts geochemical, paleontological, and geochronological research to understand the chemical development of the early oceans and atmosphere, and the environmental context of evolution. His work has taken him to many places around the world including Oman, Namibia and Siberia.

The recipient of numerous awards, Grotzinger was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2002.

While at OSU, Grotzinger also will give a more technical presentation on a related topic. His George Moore Lecture, "Modern Carbonate and Microbial Environments at Ambergris Cay, Turks and Caicos Islands, British West Indies," will begin at 3 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 3, in Gilfillan Auditorium.

The presentations are sponsored by the OSU Research Office and the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences.