Miriam Kastner

Geologist

Miriam Kastner, professor of geology with the Geosciences Research Division, takes a process-oriented approach to oceanography and to reaching personal goals.

"I was always curious and required explanations for everything I was asked or told to do. I suppose, therefore, science attracted me since childhood."

Kastner, a native of Czechoslovakia, was raised in Israel where she earned bachelor's and master's degrees in geology at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Her initiative, a scholarship, and a Fulbright grant brought her to Harvard University where she received a Ph.D. in geology. After working as a research associate at Harvard University and at the University of Chicago, she joined Scripps as an assistant professor. She was Scripps's first female professor. But, this was not a new experience for her; she spent three years as the only female graduate student in the geology department at Harvard. She has been a full professor since 1982.

Kastner teaches several classes, goes to sea, and conducts a variety of laboratory research. She investigates such diverse subjects as the geochemical history of seawater, submarine mineralization processes, the mineralogy and geochemistry of marine sediments, and the nature, origin, and fluxes of fluids in subduction zones.

For a geologist-geochemist focusing on the processes that influence seawater chemistry and change the nature of marine sediments and rocks over time, oceanography is a wonderful environment to work in. Working in the modern oceanic environment enables her to study ongoing processes and their rates, and to gain insights into oceanographic feedback mechanisms.

"Most of the sedimentary rocks exposed on land are marine; in the modern ocean it is possible to observe, monitor, document, and understand the interactions between geological, physical, chemical, and biological processes. This is why oceanography appeals to me."

In 1993 and 1994, Kastner had the opportunity to discuss the importance of oceanography with university students while touring the United States with a panel of scholars selected by Phi Beta Kappa. She travelled to six campuses giving public lectures and visiting classrooms.

"I emphasized to the students the breadth and depth of the field of oceanography for both science and non-science students, and the importance and central role the ocean has in controlling global change." She refers to careers, such as in law, international relations, and environmental policy, that can be related to the ocean but are not necessarily based in science. According to Kastner, "There is a need for diverse people, including non-scientists, in the field of oceanography."