Richard Waldron Allmendinger is a structural geologist and Professor Emeritus of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell University.[1]

Richard 'Rick' Allmendinger
Other namesRichard Waldron Allmendinger
Alma materStanford University
Scientific career
Fieldsstructural geology
InstitutionsCornell University Stanford University

His work is focused on energy and climate change as well as earthquakes and the regional tectonics of South America. Some of his biggest contributions to the field of Structural geology are the creation of the stereonet mobile[2] and GeolMapDataExtractor GMDE mobile apps,[3] as well as many other apps and programs.

Academic career

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Richard Waldron Allmendinger obtained a BA. in the geological sciences from Cornell University in 1975 where he received distinction in all subjects.[4] He also received a PhD. with a concentration in structural geology from Stanford University in 1979.[5] Allmendinger began his career working as a geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey[6] beginning in 1976 through 1985. Also during this time, he worked as a Research Associate (III) at Cornell University[7] from 1980 through 1984. After this, Allmendinger obtained a position starting as an assistant professor at Cornell University that he has kept at through present day where he is currently an Emeritus professor.[8] He also served as the Associate Dean for the College of Engineering at Cornell from 2008 through 2011.[9] Beginning in 2002, he became a Visiting Professor at the Universidad Católica del Norte in Antofagasta, Chile.[10] Allmendinger has been recognized for his work in structural geology by being inducted as a fellow into the Geological Society of America[11]

Honors and awards

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In 2021, Allmendinger was awarded the Paul G. Silver Award for Outstanding Scientific Service in large part due to the multitude of free geology software and instruction he has provided to hundreds of thousands of geologists and students, as well as his teaching and research contributions to the field of geology.[12] 

Allmendinger is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America,[13] and in 2012 was awarded the Career Contribution Award from the Geological Society of America for his numerous distinguished contributions that have advanced the science of structural geology and tectonics.[14]

During his time serving as the Associate Dean for Diversity and Faculty Development, the Diversity Programs in Engineering (DPE), which he oversaw, was awarded the 2011 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) in a ceremony at the White House in December 2011.[15][16]

Allmendinger is also a Miembro Correspondiente” (Honorary Foreign Fellow) of the Asociación Geológica Argentina.[17]

Research

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Allmendinger’s general research interests include Structural geology and Tectonics, [[earthquake geology, structural geodesy, numerical kinematic modeling, interpretation of seismic reflection profiles, regional tectonics of South America, and field geology. Allmendinger’s main research aims to answer questions such as: what is the composition and structure of the convergent plate boundary in South America? And how does that structure elucidate the geologic expression? In order to answer these questions, Allmedinger uses methods such as seismic interpretation, GPS and satellite imagery, field work and computer modeling. Aside from his research, Richard is renowned and recognized for his technological contributions to the field of geology due to his widely-used apps and programs.[18]

Allmendinger’s approach to advancing research via technological progression can best be understood by a quote from his own research: “Future technological advances should overcome many of today's uncertainties and provide rich new data to mine by providing denser, more uniform, and temporally continuous observations.”[19]

References

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  1. ^ "Richard Waldron Allmendinger | Earth and Atmospheric Sciences". www.eas.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  2. ^ Allmendinger, Richard W.; Siron, Christopher R.; Scott, Chelsea P. (1 September 2017). "Structural data collection with mobile devices: Accuracy, redundancy, and best practices". Journal of Structural Geology. 102: 98–112. Bibcode:2017JSG...102...98A. doi:10.1016/j.jsg.2017.07.011.
  3. ^ "GMDE (GeolMapDataExtractor) | Rick Allmendinger's Stuff". www.geo.cornell.edu.
  4. ^ "Tectonics and Structural Geology | Earth and Atmospheric Sciences". www.eas.cornell.edu.
  5. ^ "Geological Sciences | Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability". earth.stanford.edu.
  6. ^ "USGS.gov | Science for a changing world". www.usgs.gov.
  7. ^ "Tectonics and Structural Geology | Earth and Atmospheric Sciences". www.eas.cornell.edu.
  8. ^ "Research & Teaching Faculty | Earth and Atmospheric Sciences". www.eas.cornell.edu.
  9. ^ "Cornell Engineering | Cornell Engineering". www.engineering.cornell.edu.
  10. ^ "Universidad Católica del Norte". Universidad Católica del Norte (in Spanish).
  11. ^ "Fellowship - Current Fellows". www.geosociety.org.
  12. ^ "Richard Allmendinger wins Paul G. Silver Award for Outstanding Scientific Service from AGU | Cornell Engineering". www.engineering.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  13. ^ "Fellowship - Current Fellows". www.geosociety.org. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  14. ^ "Geological Society of America - GSA Division Awards". www.geosociety.org. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  15. ^ "President Obama Honors Outstanding Science, Math, and Engineering Mentors". whitehouse.gov. 2011-11-15. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  16. ^ "PAESMEM, 2011 | Rick Allmendinger's Stuff". www.geo.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  17. ^ "Miembros Correspondientes de la Asociación Geológica Argentina – Asociación Geológica Argentina – AGA | Maipú 645, 1°piso C1006ACG – CABA República Argentina" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  18. ^ "Richard W. Allmendinger: H-index & Awards - Academic Profile". Research.com. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  19. ^ Allmendinger, Richard W.; Loveless, John P.; Pritchard, Matthew E.; Meade, Brendan (2009-11-01). "From decades to epochs: Spanning the gap between geodesy and structural geology of active mountain belts". Journal of Structural Geology. 31 (11): 1409–1422. Bibcode:2009JSG....31.1409A. doi:10.1016/j.jsg.2009.08.008. ISSN 0191-8141.