Gerald Friedman, Professor Emeritus of Earth and Environmental Sciences, was recently awarded two distinguished awards: the 2005 Legendary Geoscientist Award and the Mary C. Rabbit Memorial Medal for 2005.

The American Geological Institute (AGI) gives the Legendary Geoscientist Award. Established in 1999, the award is presented to a geoscientist who has demonstrated a long history of scientific achievement and exceptional service to the geoscience profession.

The Geological Society of America awards the Mary C. Rabbit Memorial Medal, which is formerly known as the History of Geology Award, to an individual for contributions of fundamental importance to the understanding of the history of the geological sciences.

Best known for his work in carbonate rocks, he is accomplished in a wide variety of subjects, including coastal geology, water geochemistry, history, and oil and gas consulting. Friedman exemplifies the qualities of the awards he earned with his numerous significant contributions to sedimentary geology, and his dedication to education and research.

Born in Berlin, Germany in 1921, Friedman earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University. He earned a Doctorate of Science from the University of London and received an honorary Doctorate of Natural Science from the University of Heidelberg in Germany. After college, Friedman worked as a geochemist and petrologist in the Appalachians and the Canadian Shield. He then went on to become a research geologist and director of sedimentology research at the Amoco Research Laboratory in Tulsa, Okla.

Friedman then returned to academia, teaching at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for 20 years. In 1984, he went on to Brooklyn College of the City University of New York from which he retired in 2004, where he worked with graduate students and post-doctoral researchers on carbonate deposits, regional stratigraphy, the environmental geology of rivers, amongst a variety of other topics. His current research focuses on the sedimentology and stratigraphy of Paleozoic deposits and prospective gas storage reservoirs in New York State.

Friedman is the founder of the Northeastern Science Foundation in Troy, NY, which hosts symposia and publishes several journals, including Northeastern Geology and Environmental Science and Carbonates and Evaporites. His involvement in other organizations is also notable, serving as an officer for the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the Geological Society of America, the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, and the New York State Geological Association. He has served as editor of several publications and as a member of more than 20 advisory committees. As the author or co-author of over 500 publications, his ability to communicate difficult topics is illustrated by his textbook, Principles of Sedimentology, co-authored with J.E. Sanders, which is considered a classic.

Among Friedman’s various achievements are numerous awards including the Sidney Powers Memorial Medal, the John T. Galey, Jr. Memorial Award, The Association of Earth Science Editors Award for Outstanding Editing and the Distinguished Educator Award. He is also the recipient of the SEPM Twenhofel Medal, and the Hollis D. Hedberg Award in Energy from the Institute for the Study of Earth and Man at Southern Methodist University.

Published November 18, 2005