Biography:Raymond Arvidson

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Raymond E. Arvidson
Alma materTemple University
Brown University
AwardsWhipple Award (2007)
Scientific career
FieldsPlanetary science
InstitutionsWashington University in St. Louis
Thesis (1975)
Doctoral advisorThomas A. Mutch
Notable studentsBethany Ehlmann
Sarah Stewart Johnson

Raymond E. Arvidson is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor Emeritus in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. He is best known for his contributions to NASA missions to Mars, including as deputy director of the Mars Exploration Rovers.

Education and career

Raised in the Williamstown section of Monroe Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, Arvidson attended Williamstown High School, graduating in 1965.[1][2] He earned a bachelor's degree in geology from Temple University in 1969, as well as his M.S. in 1971 and Ph.D. in 1975 from Brown University under the supervision of Thomas Mutch.[3] He was the first person in his family to graduate from high school.[2]

Arvidson became an assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis in 1974 and received promotions to full professor in 1984 and to McDonnell Distinguished Professor in 1998. He has served as chair of the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department in Arts and Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.[4] Arvidson "has been instrumental in developing and implementing both orbital and landed missions to the planets."[5] He has received four NASA Public Service Medals and the Whipple Award of the American Geophysical Union. He is a fellow of the Geological Society of America and the American Geophysical Union.[6][7]

Minor planet 397278 is named after Arvidson.[8]

Teaching and mentoring

Arvidson has received a number of teaching and advising awards, including Advisor of the Year, Student Union Professor of the Year, and the Outstanding Graduate Faculty Member Award from Washington University, as well as the Missouri Governor's Award for Excellence in Teaching.[9] He directed the Pathfinder Program in Environmental Sustainability at Washington University, which had many notable alumni.[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ "News of County", Gloucester County Times, July 25, 1969. Accessed September 19, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "Raymond E. Arvidson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Benevento of 439 New Brooklyn Road, Williamstown, is participating; in a U.S. Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps (AFROTC) field training encampment at Loring AFB, Maine. Arvidson, a 1965 graduate of Williamstown High School where he was a member of the National Honor Society, is a member of the AFROTC unit at Brown University, Providence, R.I."
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Peterson, Deb (2010-12-12). "Rocket science is a blast for Mars investigator Ray Arvidson". https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/columns/rocket-science-is-a-blast-for-mars-investigator-ray-arvidson/article_397a8270-6dc4-51da-bd25-c91960068a26.html. "EDUCATION • Williamstown, N.J., high school, 1965" 
  3. ↑ "Physics Tree - Raymond E. Arvidson Family Tree". https://academictree.org/physics/tree.php?pid=286927. 
  4. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Tony (1998-10-01). "Arvidson named McDonnell Professor". The Record (Washington University in St. Louis). https://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1804&context=record. 
  5. ↑ "Raymond Arvidson" (in en-US). Washington University in St. Louis. https://source.wustl.edu/experts/raymond-e-arvidson/. 
  6. ↑ "107: Dr. Ray Arvidson: Amazing Stories of Opportunity and Curiosity from a Researcher in Planetary Science" (in en-US). 2014-07-22. https://www.peoplebehindthescience.com/dr-ray-arvidson/. 
  7. ↑ "Raymond Arvidson - SAS". https://www.s-a-s.org/raymond-arvidson/. 
  8. ↑ "Small-Body Database Lookup". https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=397278&view=OPD. 
  9. ↑ "Phoenix Mars Mission - Mission - Teams - Ray Arvidson". http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/arvidsonRay.php. 
  10. ↑ Malkowicz, Tom; Lutz, Diana (2015-05-26). "Their classroom is the desert" (in en-US). Washington University in St. Louis. https://source.wustl.edu/2015/05/their-classroom-is-the-desert/. 
  11. ↑ "Hewlett/Pathfinder Alumni". https://wufs.wustl.edu/pathfinder/alumni.htm. 



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