The Robert B. Smith Academic Support Endowment is being established within the University of Utah’s Department of Geology and Geophysics to honor the distinguished career of Professor Robert B. Smith. This dedicated fund will provide crucial support to students within the Department of Geology and Geophysics, with a primary focus on graduate students pursuing geophysics. With your generous support, the Department of Geology and Geophysics is thrilled to honor Dr. Smith through this endowment in his name.
Dr. Robert B. Smith, a distinguished professor with the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Utah, has a distinguished career in geophysics working on earthquakes, crustal deformation, education, and outreach throughout his career. He has conducted pioneering geophysics investigations of the Yellowstone hotspot, the Basin-Range Province, Wasatch Front, Swiss-French-Italian Alps, and Mediterranean studies followed by national evaluations of earthquake and volcano hazard of nuclear facilities. His devotion to education has resulted in the supervision of 69 graduate students, 17 Post Docs and 8 senior student theses. In addition, Bob and his colleagues’ research has resulted in over 200 scientific papers and hundreds of presentations at scientific meetings worldwide.
Goal:
- Raise $50,000 to permanently establish the Robert B. Smith Academic Support Endowment in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Utah, where Bob Smith has taught at for 57 years.
- If this campaign reaches at least $25,000 in contributions before November 15, 2027,the perpetual endowment will be established as described. However, if the campaign does not reach $25,000, the funds will not be endowed but instead will be expendable and used for the same purpose until exhausted. In this event, the word “endowed” will be omitted from the name of the fund.
Purpose:
- Create an endowed scholarship to honor Robert B. Smith and his exemplary career in geology and geophysics.
- The Robert B. Smith Academic Support Endowment in the Department of Geology & Geophysics will be awarded to students in the Department of Geology and Geophysics, with a primary focus on graduate students pursuing geophysics, that demonstrate academic excellence and a commitment to the field.
