Professor Kathleen Benison - Salty Secrets about the Search for Life on Mars

Name: Professor Kathleen Benison
University: West Virginia University

Bio: Kathleen Benison is a multidisciplinary earth scientist and educator who studies the geology, geochemistry, and microbiology of modern and ancient acid salt lakes. She is especially interested in using fluid inclusions in halite and gypsum to decipher past conditions of environment, climate, and life from the rock record of Earth and Mars. Kathy grew up near the beach in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., where she gained an interest in science and nature. She earned a B.S. in Geology and Chemistry from Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts in 1990, a M.A. in Geology from Binghamton University in New York in 1993, and a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Kansas in 1997. Kathy was a professor at Central Michigan University from 1997 until 2012 and, since then, has been at West Virginia University, where she is now Professor of Geology. She was a Return Sample Selection-Participating Scientist for the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission and a Science Editor for the journal Geology. Kathy is a Geological Society of America Fellow, an Explorers Club Fellow, and a National Geographic Explorer.  She is mom to three adult children and one big yellow dog.