Gordon E. Brown Jr. An Oral History
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Gordon Brown, Dorrell William Kirby Professor Emeritus in the Department of Geological Sciences, School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences, and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Photon Science, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, shares recollections of his childhood, education in chemistry and geology, and his research and teaching career at Stanford. He describes the origins of his interests in x-ray crystallography, synchrotron light methods, syncrotron-based x-ray absorption spectroscopy, and the atomic-level structures of minerals, amorphous materials, and liquids, working with NASA on the Apollo lunar samples, pioneering new high temperature x-ray crystallographic techniques that reveal the effect of high temperatures (up to 1200°C) on the structure of minerals and silicate melts, and the birth of the field of molecular environmental science. Brown recounts his early experiments at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL), award-winning research on selenium using x-ray spectroscopic methods, and his efforts to build a new scientific community and fund additional synchrotron radiation beamlines for molecular environmental science research. He reflects on major changes over time in the Department of Geology (1898 to present), the School of Mineral Sciences (1947-1962), the School of Earth Sciences (1962-2015), the School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences (2015-2022) and its transformation into the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability (September 2022 to present). He also shares memories of teaching physical geology, environmental geochemistry, and mineralogy; the Loma Prieto earthquake (1989); and his long curatorship of the Stanford Research Mineral Collection. Brown concludes with predictions of what the future holds for the field of Earth Sciences at Stanford.
- Summary
- Part 1 [00:00:00 – 00:30:42] Family history and growing up in Mississippi • Mississippi geology • Early schooling and influences; educational expectations • Grade school and high school experience • Undergraduate years at Millsaps College; majoring in chemistry and geology • Meeting and marrying first wife, Nancy • Jobs at Sun Oil during college • Memories of attending a southern college during the civil rights movement and the family’s tenant farmers • Recruitment by Richard Jahns to Department of Geochemistry at Penn State as a graduate student • Using x-rays in research at Penn State [00:30.43 – 01:00.38] Advisor Jerry Gibbs; moving with Gibbs from Penn State to Virginia Tech • Early x-ray crystallography and interest in atomic-level structures • Working with early computing equipment • Master’s and PhD research • Post doc with Charlie Prewitt at Stony Brook University; working with NASA on Apollo lunar samples • Accepting faculty position and move to Princeton • Starting a family • Developing new high temperature techniques for x-ray crystallography • Influences on developing a teaching style [01:00:39 – 01:33:04] Memories of teaching Geology I at Stanford as an assistant professor • Guest lecturing at Stanford and recruitment efforts • Decision to accept a faculty position at Stanford • Appeal of Stanford’s interdisciplinary focus in Earth and Materials Science • Building a lab; acquiring and operating x-ray equipment • Impressions of the Earth Sciences at Stanford in the 1980s • Stanford now vs then • Department names changes explained • Renaming the School of Earth Sciences; anticipating the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability • Center for Materials Research; Ted Geballe Part 2 [00:00:00 – 00:34:13] Innovative approaches to teaching undergraduate geology • Teaching with colleagues Junh Liou, Gail Mahood, Wendy Mao • Course fieldtrips to New Indria mercury mine in San Benito County, California • Approach to working with graduate students • Teaching awards and honorary degrees received • Importance of understanding Earth materials at the molecular level • Research on minerals at high temperatures as well as silicate melts and glasses • Research on elements in aqueous solutions • Research on heavy metals • Working with postdoc Ingrid Pickering [00:34:14 – 01:01:17] Collaboration with George Calas • Sabbatical in Paris in 1984 • Beginning to use the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) in his research • SLAC Director Burton Richter’s decision to grant dedicated beamtime to non-physics experiments • Changes at SLAC under Department of Energy’s Patricia Dehmer, including Department of Photo Science, Linac Coherent Lightsource, and name change • Building beam lines devoted to molecular environmental science, including radioactive materials • Analyzing plutonium contaminated soil samples • Research on selenium using x-ray spectroscopy and article “The In Situ X-Ray Absorption Study of Surface Complexes” [01:01:18 – 01:30:09] Building scientific community; role of the Geo-Soil-Enviro Consortium for Advanced Radiation Sources (GSECARS) in securing beamlines at the Advanced Photon Source • Chinese advances in molecular environmental science • Role as chair of the Department of Photo Science • Electron microscopy facility at SLAC • The h-Index measure of impact of publications • Development of the scanning transmission x-ray microscope (STXM) • STMX research on the formation of arterial plaque co-published with Mayo Clinic Cardiac Surgeons in Journal of Investigative Medicine • Carbon sequestration research • Hydraulic fracking research • Thoughts on changes in funding sources over time • Stanford culture of interdisciplinary collaboration [01:30:10 – 01:54:45] Thoughts on the role of department chair • Death of a Stanford dean • Memories of the Loma Prieta earthquake at Stanford • Indirect cost and budget crisis at Stanford • Role as curator of the Stanford Research Mineral Collection; story of the donation of a memorable Rhodochrosite • Professional service outside of Stanford • Predictions for what the future holds for the field of Earth Sciences at Stanford
Description
| Type of resource | moving image, sound recording-nonmusical, text |
|---|---|
| Extent | 2 video files; 2 audio files; 1 text file |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | January 18, 2022 - 2022-01-25 |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Brown, G. E. (Gordon E.), Jr. | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Brown, G. E. (Gordon E.), Jr. | |
| Interviewer | Marine-Street, Natalie J. | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Brown, G. E. (Gordon E.), Jr. |
|---|---|
| Subject | Stanford University. Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences |
| Subject | Stanford University. Woods Institute for the Environment |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Biographical Profile | Gordon E. Brown, Jr. is the Dorrell William Kirby Professor Emeritus of Geology, in the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences at Stanford University and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Photon Science at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. He specializes in environmental geochemistry and aqueous and surface geochemistry, focusing on chemical and microbiological interactions at environmental interfaces. He and his research team utilize molecular-scale methods, particularly those involving very intense x-rays from synchrotron radiation sources, to study the interactions of contaminants and pollutants, particularly heavy metals such as lead and mercury, metalloids such as arsenic and selenium, and actinides such as uranium, with mineral surfaces, with the aim of understanding reactions that can sequester or release these species or transform them into more or less toxic forms. Brown is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Clair C. Patterson Medal of the Geochemical Society, the Roebling Medal of the Mineralogical Society of America, and the Ian Campbell Medal of the American Geosciences Institute. In 2018, he received the International Mineralogical Association Medal of Excellence in Mineralogical Sciences, a lifetime achievement award. In addition to his service on numerous professional and scientific committees, Brown’s leadership roles include Chair of the Department of Geology from 1986 to 1992 and again from 2012 to 2015, and Chair of the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory Faculty (now the Department of Photon Science) from 1997 to 2007. He was a member of the executive committee of the Stanford Center for Materials Research from 1978 to 1999, and the co-director of the Center from 1987 to 1989. Brown joined the Stanford faculty in 1973 as an assistant professor in the Department of Geology. From 1971 to 1973, he was an assistant professor in the Department of Geological and Geophysical Sciences at Princeton University. He conducted post-doctoral research at Stony Brook with C.T. Prewitt and J.J. Papike, performing crystallographic studies of lunar samples and high temperature structural studies of silicate minerals. He completed his PhD in Mineralogy and Crystallography at Virginia Tech with advisor Gerald V. Gibbs, and his BS degrees in chemistry and geology at Millsaps College. |
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| Transcript |
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| Finding Aid | |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/cj532bq6110 |
| Location | SC0932 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
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