ROBERT C. THOMAS
Professor of Geology

ADDRESS:

122 Block Hall
Department of Environmental Sciences
The University of Montana - Western
710 South Atlantic
Dillon, Montana 59725
Telephone (406) 683-7615
Fax (406) 683 - 7493
Email: r_thomas@umwestern.edu
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Robert C. Thomas is originally from Pleasanton, California, where summer trips to national parks inspired his passion for geology. He earned an AA from Chabot College ('82), a BA in geology from Humboldt State University ('85), a MS in geology from the University of Montana ('87) and a Ph.D. in geology from the University of Washington ('93), where he studied paleoenvironmental changes associated with an Upper Cambrian mass extinction event. His first faculty position was at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY and he has been a faculty member at the University of Montana Western for 15 years.

During his tenure at the University of Montana Western, he has helped the campus evolve from a traditional state "normal school" into an experiential learning university that uses an immersion scheduling system where students take one course at a time. The University of Montana Western is the first public university in U.S. history to use this system and Professor Thomas uses it to teach most of his courses in the natural lab of southwest Montana.

Dr. Thomas' passion is public outreach. To that end, he helped run 10 GeoVenture field trips for the Geological Society of America with his colleague Dr. Sheila Roberts, for which he was awarded the Society's Distinguished Service Award. In addition, he worked with Dr. Roberts to co-author a series of geological road signs that have been placed along the Lewis and Clark Trail in the State of Montana and they are currently working on a layperson book entitled "Geology Underfoot in Montana" for Mountain Press Publishing in Missoula, Montana.

Dr. Thomas' professional service includes many years of teaching the Princeton/UPenn geology field camp, serving on the boards of the Tobacco Root Geological Society and the Yellowstone Bighorn Research Association, serving as the President of the Rocky Mountain Paleontological Society and serving as an editor for Northwest Geology and the Journal of Geoscience Education. He has organized numerous symposia and authored and co-authored numerous publications.

His most important contributions are his two daughters, Abbey (9) and Haley (5), and his nearly 20-year marriage to Anneliese Ripley.


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