Biography
Rob grew up influenced by America's concern with science after the International Geophysical Year (1957-58) . After receiving an engineering bachelor's degree, and two years designing photovoltaic power systems for satellites, he returned to the halls of academe by moving to the beautiful Southwest to study geophysics. Short stints working for mining and oil companies did not dissuade him from the academic life, in which he has now spent over 30 years at F&M. His research focuses largely on the application of magnetic methods of geophysics to archaeology. He has worked in the American Southwest, Israel, Greece, Jamaica, Italy, Germany, and Azerbaijan. He likes to shop at Central Market, cook, travel, watch independent films and cricket matches, read the NY Review of Books and some actual books, and collect memorabilia from that formative IGY. Rob retired in the summer of 2016, but will continue working on several projects a few morning per week in Hackman 100C.
Research
Archaeomagnetic secular variation of direction
Archaeomagnetic secular variation of paleointensity
Archaeomagnetic dating
Paleomagnetic studies of clinkers
Geophysical prospection at archaeological sites
Magnetic properties of obsidians
Retirement, Summer, 2016
Society for American Archaeology, Washington, D.C., April 11-15, 2018
International Symposium on Archaeometry, Merida, Mexico, May 20-26,, 2018
American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C., Dec 11-15, 2018
2020 MagIC Workshop: Rock and Paleomagnetism through Time and Space, La Jolla, March 16-18, 2020
International Symposium on Archaeometry, Lisbon, Portugal, May 18-22, 2020
Education
Ph.D. 1982, University of Arizona, geosciences
M.S. 1977, University of Arizona, geosciences
B.S. 1972, Cornell University, engineering physics