Droxler, Lenardic named Geological Society of America Fellows

André Droxler and Adrian Lenardic, both professors of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, have been elected fellows of the Geological Society of America (GSA).

Society fellowship is an honor bestowed via election by the GSA Council. Society members are nominated for fellowship by existing GSA Fellows in recognition of their distinguished contributions to the geosciences. Droxler and Lenardic are among 89 2018 GSA Fellows who will be honored at the society’s annual meeting in November.

André Droxler

Droxler was nominated by Rice geologist Gerald Dickens for “for understanding the neritic carbonate systems across Earth and especially for conveying this information to students, colleagues and the general public.”

A marine geologist, Droxler’s research has focused on studying the morphology of and the sediments accumulating on slopes and basin floors surrounding coral reefs and carbonate platforms.

Since coming Rice in 1987, he has examined the regional and global evolution of coral reefs through time, the paleo-oceanographic/climatic and sea level records archived in the sediments deposited around reefs and carbonate platforms.

Adrian Lenardic

Lenardic was nominated by Rice geologist Cin-Ty Lee “for contributions to our understanding of the geodynamic evolution of Earth and other planets and how planetary interiors and surfaces interact.”

Lenardic is a fluid dynamicist who works on planetary thermal evolution, mantle convection, dynamics of continent formation and evolution, and interactions between planetary atmospheres and their deep interiors.

His most recent interests are in astrobiology and understanding how an exoplanet’s internal energy sources can evolve — either through Earth-like processes such as volcanism and tectonics or via more exotic modes such as tidal forcing — to support life.

Headquartered in Boulder, Colo., the GSA has more than 26,000 members from academia, government and industry in more than 100 countries. Through its meetings, publications and programs, the society enhances the professional growth of its members and promotes the geosciences in the service of humankind. GSA encourages cooperative research among Earth, life, planetary and social scientists, fosters public dialogue on geoscience issues and supports all levels of Earth science education.