ICS presents prestigious Digby McLaren Medal to Cincinnati's Carl Brett

"I especially like to take students out in the field," he says. He teaches an introductory freshman course mostly using field trips. "There are not many like it in the country. We use an integrative discipline approach out in the field. We look at real rock outcrops and I ask them to think 'What does this mean?' to put each observation in terms of a broad picture of a bigger scheme relative to sea level, climate, things like that."

In fact, after attending the conference in Norway, Brett will come home by way of Gotland, Sweden, where he will be doing some field studies with former doctoral student Pat McLaughlin. McLaughlin received his PhD from UC in 2006 and is now working for the Wisconsin Geological Survey and the University of Wisconsin at Madison. McLaughlin, Brett and fellow Geology faculty member Warren Huff have a grant from the National Science Foundation to identify cycles of ancient global sea-level and climatic change in the Silurian Period (440 to 417 million years ago).

Brett pursues — and receives — many grants. (In fact, he received a phone call during the interview from the National Science Foundation telling him he had just received a grant. Now, back to the medal….)

Brett frequently uses the grants to help give students experience in the field.

"Students are learning how to do their own research," he says. "Field study with students is most exciting. It's teaching and research at the same time."

It's clear that Carl Brett loves what he's doing. "Cincinnati is a wonderful place — it's a classic playground of geology," he says. " I cannot tell you how much I like being here. It really is all UC."

He laughs.

"And I'm not just saying that because you're interviewing me."

But then the interview is over — a student is waiting.