September 1, 2023
Matthew Brueseke named fellow of the Geological Society of America
Matthew Brueseke, professor in the geology department, has been named a fellow of the Geological Society of America, a global professional organization with more than 26,000 members in 115 countries.
As explained by the society's selection committee, "Society Fellowship is an honor bestowed on the best of our profession." It recognizes an individual's sustained contributions to geosciences through research, teaching, public outreach and leadership in the field.
According to Brueseke's primary nominator, Pamela Kempton, professor and department head in geology at K-State, "Matt is particularly recognized for the breadth of his accomplishments as an outstanding teacher and mentor; a leader in service to Geological Society of America and the profession; and a renowned researcher who integrates field and lab methods with quantitative analysis to address problems in igneous petrology, volcanology, geochemistry, petrogenesis and tectonics."
Brueseke has successfully built and maintained a student-centered, internationally recognized research program focused on igneous petrology, economic geology and tectonics, and he has been the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on proposals totaling more than $1.9 million dollars in external funding. Brueseke's research is notable for combining field-based geologic mapping and petrologic/petrographic observations with geochemical, isotopic and geochronologic data. He and his students synthesize these diverse datasets into innovative tectonic models that are viewed by his colleagues as transformative and game-changing.
Brueseke has also been recognized for the excellence of his teaching, having been awarded both the Page Twiss Faculty Development Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching and Advising and the Geology Department Faculty Development Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and Advising.
Brueseke earned his bachelor's degree and doctorate from Miami University. He was nominated for the Geological Society of America fellowship by four colleagues: Jeffrey M. Trop, Bucknell University; Christopher D. Henry, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, University of Nevada, Reno; Charles G. Oviatt, emeritus professor, and Pamela Kempton, both of the K-State geology department.