Robert Hazen to Receive 2009 MSA Distinguished Public Service Medal

Washington, D.C.— Robert Hazen, senior staff scientist at the Carnegie Institution's Geophysical Laboratory, will receive the 2009 Distinguished Public Service Medal of the Mineralogical Society of America. Hazen researches the possible roles of minerals in the origin of life and is author of more than 300 articles and 19 books on science, history, and music.

A Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Hazen previously received the Mineralogical Society of America Award (1982), the American Chemical Society Ipatieff Prize (1986), the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award (1989), the Educational Press Association Award (1992), and the Elizabeth Wood Science Writing Award (1998). He has served as President and Distinguished Lecturer for the Mineralogical Society of America and is currently Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer. Hazen's books have received widespread critical praise. The Music Men, Wealth Inexhaustible, and Keepers of the Flame, all coauthored with his wife, Margaret Hindle Hazen, explore ties between technology and culture. The Breakthrough, The New Alchemists, Why Aren't Black Holes Black, The Diamond Makers, and Genesis: The Scientific Quest for Life's Origins describe the forefront of scientific research.

He has also written widely for popular audiences, including articles in Newsweek, Scientific American, New Scientist, Smithsonian, and The New York Times Magazine. His writings have been selected for inclusion in several science writing anthologies, including The Best Science Writing of 2001. His books with coauthor James Trefil include the best selling Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy and The Sciences: An Integrated Approach, now entering its sixth edition. Hazen also served on the team of writers for the National Science Education Standards.

"Bob has been a leader in the mineral sciences throughout his incredibly productive career. While pursing cutting-edge research in mineralogy, he has also managed to promote public understanding of both geoscience and science as a whole on many different levels," says Russell Hemley, director of the Geophysical Laboratory.