After over 25 years as a faculty member in the School of Earth Sciences, Professor W Berry Lyons retired from Ohio State on 31 May, 2025. Lyons was hired in December, 1999 as the Director of the Byrd Polar Research Center (now the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center), where he served as Director for over 9 years. He also was the Director of SES from 2009 until 2017.  Over these 25 + years as a faculty member, Lyons taught or co-taught a number of SES courses, including Introduction to Geochemistry, Environmental Geology, Principles of, and Advanced Oceanography, Geomorphology, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, and a number of geochemical/environmental geosciences seminar courses. He also helped teach a co-listed course in both SES and School of Natural Resources called  Soil and Climate Change which he taught with OSU Distinguished Faculty member, Prof Rattan Lal. While at OSU, he advised/mentored/trained 5 PhD students, 14 MS students, 27 BS students, and 6 post-doctoral scholars. 

Lyons is an internationally recognized research scientist as demonstrated by numerous honors and awards, which include: GSA, AGU and AAAS Fellow, International Association of GeoChemistry (IAGC) Harmon Distinguished Service Award, Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR) Medal for Excellence in Antarctic Research, the GSA Limnogeology Division’s Israel Russell Medal for career accomplishments, and the Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Award for excellence. However, he views his greatest awards as being chosen by SES students twice for School teaching awards and for a university-wide undergraduate research mentoring award. He also has been a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Galway, Ireland, and a Benjamin Meeker Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Bristol, England. He was one of the original principal investigators of the Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research project, leading the team for 12 of the 32 years the project has been supported.

Professor Lyons spent his career increasing STEM access for a wide range of budding scientists. Melisa Diaz, a new assistant professor in SES, earned her PhD under Lyons’s supervision. “It’s hard to describe the profound impact Berry has had on my career and in my life. At various times in the last decade, he was an advisor, a mentor, an educator, a coach, a champion, and a friend. He has always been someone I can comfortably and confidently turn to for advice or fun conversations about rosé. And my experience was not unique. Berry has had a profound impact on all the students he has mentored. I wish him only happiness and joy as he settles into his retirement!” 

The SES community joins with Professor Diaz in wishing Professor Lyons a joyful retirement.