Harry Y. McSween
University Distinguished Professor of Science
Planetary Geoscience
My educational background includes degrees from The Citadel (B.S. Chemistry), the University of Georgia (M.S. Geology), and Harvard (Ph.D. Geology). I've been a member of the UT faculty for 30 years and served as Head of the Department of Geological Sciences for 10 years. I am involved with a number of professional organizations, including past service as President of the Meteoritical Society, Chair of the Planetary Division of the Geological Society of America, and Councilor of the Geological Society of America, and am a member of numerous advisory committees for NASA and the National Research Council.
Unlike most geologists, I am drawn to rocks falling from the heavens rather than to those already underfoot. For the past 29 years NASA has funded my research on meteorites, and I and the many talented students with whom I've been privileged to work have published several hundred scientific papers dealing with the petrology and cosmochemistry of meteorites and their implications for understanding how the solar system formed and evolved. We have focused on chondrites, the most common type of meteorites falling to Earth, and on SNC meteorites, which are generally accepted to be igneous rocks from Mars. I've also been involved in devising computer models of the thermal evolution of asteroids, which provide geologic context for measurable mineralogic and geochemical properties (peak metamorphic temperatures, cooling rates, chronology) in meteorites.
I began participation in NASA spacecraft missions in 1997 as a member of the science team for Mars Pathfinder and later for the Mars Global Surveyor orbiter. That interest in mission operations and spacecraft data analysis has continued, and I currently serve as a co-investigator for the Mars Odyssey spacecraft which is mapping the mineralogy of the Martian surface from orbit. My role in both orbiter missions involves interpreting thermal emission spectra in terms of mineralogy and petrology, so I have a continuing interest in remote sensing. I'm also a co-investigator for the Mars Exploration Rovers which have been operating on the Martian surface since early 2004. I serve as a leader in strategic planning for rover operations and am particularly interested in using rover instrument data to interpret igneous rocks. I am also a co-investigator for the Dawn asteroid orbiter, which is scheduled for launch towards 4 Vesta in summer 2007.
I'm particularly interested in communicating the excitement of science to the public, so I do a lot of public speaking and have published three popular books introducing planetary science, as well as a cosmochemistry textbook. I regularly teach at all levels, from introductory geology to undergraduate and graduate courses in petrology, geochemistry, and planetary geology. The visibility and impact of this research program is indicated by recognition from several organizations, such as the Meteoritical Society (Leonard Medal), the South Carolina Science Council, (LeConte Medal) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Fellow). I'm also the proud namesake for asteroid 5223 McSween.
Hap McSween
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
1412 Circle Drive
Knoxville, TN 37996-1410
Phone: (865) 974-9805
Email: mcsween@utk.edu