November 2004

Professor Jon Harbor to be new Head of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Dean Jeff Vitter announced the appointment of Professor Jonathan Harbor to the role of Department Head for Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, effective January 1, 2005. Prof. Ernie Agee, who has been acting Department Head since May 2004, will step down at that time. A search will begin immediately to fill Jon’s current position as Associate Dean for Research in the School of Science.

Jon Harbor received his B.A. in Geography from Cambridge University in 1982, an M.A. in Geography from the University of Colorado-Boulder in 1984, and his Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from the University of Washington in 1990. After working as a consultant for Ebasco Environmental in Seattle, he joined the faculty at Kent State University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geology. He moved to Purdue as an Associate Professor of Environmental Geosciences in 1994 and was promoted to Full Professor in 2001. He served as Associate Head of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences from 2001-2003, Acting Head in Fall 2002, and has held a courtesy appointment in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction since 2001. In 2003 he was appointed Associate Dean for Research in the School of Science, and served as Interim Associate Dean for Graduate Education in 2003-2004. Since 2003 Jon has also been a Co-Director of the Discovery Learning Center.

Jon is well known for his research on glacial landscapes, environmental hydrology, and environmental education. His research group and collaborators have used field studies in the US, Scandinavia, the European Alps, China, and New Zealand, as well as numerical modeling and applications of cosmogenic nuclide methods, to study the mechanics of glaciers and the ways in which they create specific landforms over geologic time. Other collaborators and members of his group have developed modeling tools that help planners evaluate the impacts that land use change will have on hydrology and water quality, and are studying such changes using advanced biogeochemical techniques, remote sensing, and geographical information systems. Finally, his group has teamed up with education researchers to provide innovative professional development programs for teachers, focusing on environmental issues, and has studied the impacts these programs have had on teaching practice and student learning.

Jon was a recipient of the Murphy Teaching Award in 2000 and is a Fellow of the Purdue Teaching Academy. He served as a Fulbright Senior Scholar (New Zealand) in 2000-2001, and this year was a Distinguished Overseas Visitor at the University of Durham in England. He is currently Editor for Earth Surface Processes for the journal Earth Science Reviews and is on the editorial boards of Geomorphology and the Journal of Terrestrial Observation.

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