Bayreuth scientist honored by the American Geophysical Union

The Canadian-born geoscientist - who studied physics at MIT in the USA and mineral physics at the Australian National University - has made a decisive contribution to defining the physical and chemical properties of minerals containing Earth’s most abundant element by weight - iron - with her work. "The results of her studies have been used to interpret physical properties of the Earth's deep mantle, such as seismic wave velocities and electrical conductivity, and to gain new insights into the formation and evolution of the Earth," says Prof. Dr. Dan Frost, also a Leibniz Prize winner researching at BGI. Catherine McCammon is a highly regarded researcher in the field of mineral physics of the Earth's interior and has made numerous important discoveries about the Earth's redox state* and crystal chemistry at high pressure and temperature that have been remarkably influential. McCammon is recognized as a leading expert in Mössbauer spectroscopy** in the field of earth sciences.

McCammon has not only published extensively but has also won numerous scientific awards (Fellow of the Mineralogical Society of America, Fellow of the European Association of Geochemistry, Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, Robert Wilhelm Bunsen Medal, IBAME Science Award of the International Board on the Applications of the Mössbauer Effect) and thus contributed significantly to the reputation of the BGI.

*The redox state indicates whether a substance absorbs (is reduced) or releases (is oxidized) electrons in a chemical reaction.

**Mössbauer spectroscopy utilizes the gamma radiation of atomic nuclei to gain precise insights into chemical or physical systems.