2013 Awardee - Dr. Donald R. Prothero

Dr. Donald R. Prothero has been awarded the 2013 James Shea Award by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers.

Dr. Donald R. Prothero has been awarded the 2013 James Shea Award by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) in honor of his exceptional contributions in the form of writing and/or editing of Earth science information that is of interest to the general public and/or teachers of Earth science. The award will be presented at the NAGT and GSA Geoscience Education Division Awards luncheon at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, October 29th in Denver, CO.


Dr. Prothero is an advocate for geology and paleontology, which he combines with a passion for communicating science to the public. Notably, he has served as a consultant for Discovery Channel, History Channel and National Geographic specials. He frequently gives public talks and presentations to groups interested in Earth science, including presentations to the NYC Skeptics, The Bone Room in Berkeley, CA, Bay Area Skeptics, and the Natural History Museum of L.A. County. Dr. Prothero is a prolific writer; he posts a weekly blog at "Skepticblog" and has published over 30 books. His talks and blogs focus on debunking pseudoscience and defending the science of evolution and climate change. He has made numerous contributions to advancing his fields of expertise by publishing in technical journals. He has authored and co-authored 259 papers, including papers in the following peer-reviewed journals: Nature, Paleobiology, Geology, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, Journal of Paleontology, Journal of Geology, Science, Journal of Geological Education, Palaios, Paleoceanography, and Geotimes to name a few. Prothero has served as a reviewer and editor throughout his career. He served as adjunct editor for Paleobiology and he has also served on the editorial boards of Skeptic magazine and for Geology. In addition, he has served as technical editor for Journal of Paleontology and as a consulting editor for the McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science and Technology. In recognition of Dr. Prothero's exceptional contributions in the form of writing and editing of Earth science materials, NAGT is proud to award him with the 2013 James Shea Award.


This prestigious award was established in 1991 by the officers of NAGT in honor of James H. Shea, long-time editor of the Journal of Geoscience Education. The Award commemorates Jim's long-standing commitment to promoting high-quality geoscience education by publishing the best ideas for effective and innovative teaching. The James H. Shea Award is presented annually at the NAGT luncheon during the national annual meeting of the Geological Society of America.


NAGT is a member based non-profit organization whose mission is to foster improvement in the teaching of the Earth sciences at all levels of formal and informal instruction, to emphasize the cultural significance of the Earth sciences and to disseminate knowledge in this field to the general public. For additional information please contact Erica Zweifel at 507-222-4545 or ezweifel@carleton.edu. NAGT is located at: c/o Carleton College, W-SERC, One North College Street, Northfield, MN 55057.