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Jackson School of Geosciences hosts 10-year-anniversary research symposium

February 12, 2016
Former Bureau Directors Bill Fisher (left) and Peter Flawn

Former Bureau Directors Bill Fisher (left) and Peter Flawn

When Jack and Katie Jackson made the decision to invest their fortune in The University of Texas at Austin, they envisioned the creation of a world-class school of geosciences to help solve problems important to Texas and the world. Their vision guided a 10-year-anniversary research symposium hosted by the Jackson School of Geosciences in January, with research panels organized around the geoscience topics Jack thought most essential: geology; geophysics; energy, mineral and water resources; and broad areas of Earth sciences, including the environment. The daylong symposium, attended by the Jackson School community and guests from around the country, featured research panels comprised of researchers, professors, and graduate students and included the following invited guest speakers:Steve Koonin, founding director of NYU’s Center for Urban Science and Progress and former under secretary of energy; Mark Zoback, director of Stanford University’s Natural Gas Initiative; George Davis, Geological Society of America past president and professor of structural geology at the University of Arizona; Marilu Hastings, vice president of Sustainability Programs for the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation; and Chuck Williamson, chair of Weyerhaeuser and member of the Jackson School’s advisory council.

In addition to the scientific panels, the symposium included a special panel, “The Jackson Five,” dedicated to remembering Jack and reflecting on his influence on the school today. The panel consisted of five people who were close to Jack Jackson and helped secure his estate for the university: Larry Faulkner, former president of UT Austin; Peter Flawn, former president of UT Austin and president emeritus; Bill Fisher, the Jackson School’s inaugural dean and the Leonidas T. Barrow Centennial Chair in Mineral Resources; James Langham, Jackson’s longtime financial advisor and executor of his estate; and Scott Tinker, director of the Jackson School’s Bureau of Economic Geology. “These words that we’re following today are partly Jack’s words and the vision he had for science, integration, and what he wanted to invest in,” said Tinker. “I think that’s an important piece. He’s not just someone who gave money; he actually had a vision for how it would play out.” When Jackson, who made his fortune in the gas fields of Wise County and later in Dallas real estate, left his and wife Katie’s estate to The University of Texas at Austin, it was then conservatively estimated to be worth $150 to $200 million; today, the endowment is valued at more than $300 million.

From left: Larry Faulkner, former president of UT Austin; Peter Flawn, Emeritus, former president of UT Austin; Terry Quinn, director of the Institute for Geophysics; Sharon Mosher, dean of the Jackson School; Greg Fenves, president of UT Austin; and Scot

From left: Larry Faulkner, former president of UT Austin; Peter Flawn, Emeritus, former president of UT Austin; Terry Quinn, director of the Institute for Geophysics; Sharon Mosher, dean of the Jackson School; Greg Fenves, president of UT Austin; and Scott Tinker, director of the Bureau of Economic Geology.

The Jackson Five (from left): Scott Tinker, director of the Bureau of Economic Geology; Bill Fisher, professor and the Jackson School’s inaugural dean ; Larry Faulkner, former president of UT Austin; Peter Flawn, former president of UT Austin; and James L

The Jackson Five (from left): Scott Tinker, director of the Bureau of Economic Geology; Bill Fisher, professor and the Jackson School’s inaugural dean ; Larry Faulkner, former president of UT Austin; Peter Flawn, former president of UT Austin; and James Langham, Jackson’s longtime financial advisor and executor of his estate.

 


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