Biography
John Adams Bownocker was the third Chair of the Ohio State Department of Geology and State Geologist of Ohio (1906-1928), preceded by Edward Orton Sr. and Edward Orton Jr. Since its inception in 1937, the Bownocker Lecture series has brought luminaries in theories of evolution, plate tectonics, and climate science to Ohio State. In his will, Professor Bownocker established the Bownocker Endowment, providing funds to support student scholarships in earth sciences.
Interested in supporting the Bownocker Endowment (fund #600679)? Click here for more information.
Previous Bownocker Lectures
| Year | Lecturer | Year | Lecturer | Year | Lecturer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Alfred C. Lane | 1965 | K. O. Emery | 1995 | James D. Hays |
| 1938 | Walter H. Bucher | 1966 | F. H. T. Rhodes | 1996 | Harrison H. Schmidt |
| 1939 | Reginald A. Daly | 1967 | Richard Foster Flint | 1997 | Ian W.D. Dalziel |
| 1940 | Charles K. Leith | 1968 | Cesare Emiliani | 1998 | Steven M. Stanley |
| 1941 | Arthur L. Day | 1969 | Allan V. Cox | 1999 | George M. Hornberger |
| 1942 | George F. Kay | 1970 | Valter Schytt | 2000 | Wallace S. Broecker |
| 1943 | O. D. von Englen | 1971 | Preston E. Cloud | 2001 | Robert A. Berner |
| 1945 | Max W. Ball | 1972 | S. Keith Runcorn | 2002 | Lonnie G. Thompson |
| 1946 | George G. Simpson | 1974 | Peter J. Wyllie | 2003 | Mary Lou Zoback |
| 1947 | Chester R. Longwell | 1975 | John Rodgers | 2004 | Albert A. Gore Jr. |
| 1948 | Hugh D. Miser | 1976 | John F. Dewey | 2005 | Andrew H. Knoll |
| 1950 | Harold C. Urey | 1977 | Harold Masursky | 2006 | Guust Nolet |
| 1939 | Reginald A. Daly | 1978 | Robert F. Legget | 2007 | Noel P. James |
| 1940 | Charles K. Leith | 1979 | Harold Williams | 2008 | James E. Hansen |
| 1951 | James Gilluly | 1980 | Ursula B. Marvin | 2009 | Derek E.G. Briggs |
| 1952 | Sidney Paige | 1981 | W. Gary Ernst | 2011 | Roberta Rudnick |
| 1953 | M. M. Leighton | 1982 | J. William Schopf | 2012 | James Head |
| 1954 | F. A. Vening-Meinesz | 1983 | Robert L. Folk | 2013 | Louise Kellogg |
| 1956 | J. Harlen Bretz | 1984 | Kenneth J. Hsu | 2014 | Susan Solomon |
| 1957 | J. L. Gillson | 1985 | Luna B. Leopold | 2015 | Diane McKnight |
| 1958 | F. J. Pettijohn | 1986 | Anthony J. Naldrett | 2016 | Lucy Jones |
| 1959 | Norman D. Newell | 1987 | Hans P. Eugster | 2017 | Kathy Sullivan |
| 1960 | Philip B. King | 1988 | Digby J. McLaren | 2018 | Kevin Trenberth |
| 1961 | Alfred S. Romer | 1989 | Paul F. Hoffman | 2019 | John Grotzinger |
| 1962 | Charles H. Behre, Jr. | 1990 | Albert W. Bally | 2020 | Naomi Oreskes |
| 1963 | John W. Wells | 1991 | Adolf Seilacher | 2022 | Lindy Elkins-Tanton |
| 1964 | J. Tuzo Wilson | 1992 | William R. Dickinson | 2025 | Emily Brodsky |