Susan Kieffer facts for kids
Susan Elizabeth Werner Kieffer (born November 17, 1942, in Warren, Pennsylvania) is an American scientist who studies the Earth and planets. She is known for her important work on how liquids and gases move in places like volcanoes, geysers, and rivers. Dr. Kieffer also created a way to understand the heat and energy properties of different minerals. Her research has also helped us learn more about how meteorites hit planets.
Early Life and Education
Susan Kieffer was born in Warren, Pennsylvania, on November 17, 1942. She loved learning about science and math from a young age.
She went to Allegheny College and earned her first degree in physics and mathematics in 1964. Later, she continued her studies at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). There, she earned two more degrees: a master's degree in geological sciences in 1967 and a Ph.D. in planetary sciences in 1971. A Ph.D. is the highest degree you can get in a field of study.
Dr. Kieffer has also received special honors from her colleges. Allegheny College gave her an Honorary Doctor of Science degree in 1987. Caltech gave her the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1982, which is like an honorary Ph.D. from other schools.
Career and Research
Dr. Kieffer has had a long and exciting career teaching and researching geology. She started as a professor of geology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1973.
From 1979 to 1990, she worked with the United States Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Arizona. This is a government agency that studies the Earth. After that, she was a special professor at Arizona State University from 1991 to 1993. She then led the Geological Sciences Department at the University of British Columbia from 1993 to 1995.
Today, she is an Emeritus Professor of Geology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "Emeritus" means she has retired but still keeps her title because of her important contributions.
Her research often looks at how fluids (like water or molten rock) behave under extreme conditions. This helps us understand:
- Volcanoes: How magma moves and erupts.
- Geysers: How hot water shoots out of the ground.
- Rivers: How water flows and shapes the land.
- Meteorite Impacts: What happens when space rocks crash into planets.
Awards and Recognition
Dr. Kieffer is a highly respected scientist. She is a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences, which is a very important group of scientists in the U.S. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
From 1995 to 2000, she received a special award called a MacArthur Fellowship. This award is given to talented people in many fields to support their creative work.
In 2014, she was given the Penrose Medal by the Geological Society of America. This is one of the highest awards a geologist can receive. In 2017, the American Geosciences Institute honored her with the Marcus Milling Legendary Geoscientist Medal. These awards show how much her work has helped us understand our planet.
Books
In 2013, Dr. Kieffer wrote a book for the public called The Dynamics of Disaster. In this book, she explains how natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions happen from a geology point of view. She helps readers understand the science behind these powerful events.
