Catherine McCammon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Catherine Ann McCammon
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McCammon in 2020
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| Alma mater | Australian National University Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Bayreuth University of British Columbia University of Manitoba |
| Thesis | Aspects of the high-pressure behaviour of iron oxides and sulphides (1983) |
Catherine Ann McCammon is a Canadian scientist who studies the Earth. She works at the University of Bayreuth in Germany. Her research helps us understand how the Earth's surface and deep inside parts work. She also studies the tiny details of minerals, like their physics and chemistry. She has won important awards, like the Robert Wilhelm Bunsen medal in 2013. She is also an editor for a science magazine called Physics and Chemistry of Minerals.
Her Journey in Science
Catherine McCammon studied physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). After that, she earned her advanced degree, called a doctorate. She got this degree from the Australian National University. For her doctorate, she studied how iron oxides and sulphides act under different conditions. Later, she did more research at the University of Manitoba in Canada.
Exploring Earth's Secrets
In 1985, Dr. McCammon started working at the University of British Columbia. She moved to the University of Bayreuth in Germany in 1990. There, she became a permanent professor in 1996.
Dr. McCammon uses special tools to study materials from Earth. These tools help her look closely at minerals. She uses methods like X-ray emission and X-ray absorption. She also uses a technique called Mössbauer spectroscopy.
She even helped create a special tool called the Mössbauer milliprobe. This tool can measure very tiny objects, smaller than a human hair. It helps scientists study minerals under high pressure. This is important for understanding what happens deep inside Earth.
Dr. McCammon has studied how iron behaves inside Earth. She looks at how much oxygen is linked to iron in deep rocks. This helps us understand how Earth's core formed. It also shows how our planet has changed over time. Her experiments with high pressure help us learn about oxygen moving around Earth. They also show how iron affects different layers inside the planet.
Awards and Special Recognition
Dr. McCammon has received many important awards for her work:
- 2001 Mineralogical Society of America Distinguished Lecturer
- 2002 Elected Fellow of the Mineralogical Society of America
- 2007 Elected Fellow of the European Association of Geochemistry
- 2007 Elected Fellow of the American Geophysical Union
- 2013 European Geosciences Union Robert Wilhelm Bunsen Medal
- 2017 International Board on the Applications of the Mössbauer Effect (IBAME) Science Award
- 2023 Harry H. Hess Medal of the American Geophysical Union
