Three members of the Department of Earth Science and Engineering have received awards for their outstanding contributions in Geological Science.

Geological Society Awards for ESE

Three members of the Department of Earth Science and Engineering have received awards for their outstanding contributions in Geological Science. Prof. Jane Plant has been awarded the Major Edward D'Ewes Fitzgerald Coke medal, Dr Alex Whittaker won the President's award, and Mr Jonathan Paul, an undergraduate in the department, won the essay prize for his work on Charles Lyell. 

The Coke medal is made to scientists for their contributions to geology, and in addition to recognise their significant service to the science, in administrative, organisational or promotional activities resulting in benefits to the community.

Prof. Jane Plant is currently Anglo American Professor of Geochemistry in the department.  Before joining Imperial she worked for over 30 years at the the British Geological Survey, where she became Chief Scientist. Prof. Plant is a world expert on environmental geochemistry, particularly of the elements uranium, arsenic and selenium. While at BGS she developed the Geochemical Baseline of the Environment programme, which maps elemental distribution over the UK and allows their interactions to be studied using digital methods. In doing so she developed reliable, controlled methods for sampling and analysing sediment, soil and water samples for the database, which is now acknowledged as a world leader and has been adopted by the IUGS/IAGC global Geochemical Baseline Programme (which she now co-leads jointly with scientists from USGS).

Jane has played a key role in raising public awareness of geochemistry and health, from element deficiency studies in Africa and Asia, to linkages between diet and such illnesses as osteoporosis and cancer. Her popular books and articles have made her internationally famous. Her best-known book – Your life in your hands – has sold several million copies worldwide and been translated into 20 languages.

Jane has also served on numerous government and national committees and on several academic journal editorial boards. In particular, she served on the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution and until 2008 chaired the UK Government’s Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances.

The President's Award is given to promising young researchers in geology. Dr Alexander Whittaker of the Department of Earth Science and Engineering, did his PhD on the controls on bedrock river incision, using natural and laboratory experiments, at Edinburgh University.  He is now working with Prof. Phil Allen in the department on quantifying the dynamics of sediment release, transport and deposition in tectonically perturbed landscapes. 

The Geological Society essay award is an annual competition for the best essay on a geological subject open to undergraduates and PhD students. Mr Jonathan Paul, a third year undergraduate in the department, was the winner of this years award against strong competition. Mr Paul has previously been successful in publishing a work on the geology of the underground in Geology Today, and won a place presenting a poster at the Houses of Parliament.

The awards won by ESE at the Geological Society testify to excellence at across the board in the department from distinguished professors to our undergraduate students.

Associated Personnel 

• Alex Whittaker

• Jane Plant