Carnegie Museum of Natural History named Anthony R. Kampf the winner.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History is pleased to announce that Anthony (Tony) R. Kampf, PhD, is the winner of the 2016 Carnegie Mineralogical Award. Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Director Eric Dorfman, PhD, presented the award to Kampf on February 12, 2017 during the Saturday night awards banquet at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show.
The Carnegie Mineralogical Award honors outstanding contributions in mineralogical preservation, conservation, and education and is considered one of the most prestigious awards in the field of mineralogy.
“Dr. Kampf has consistently provided a high level of service to the amateur and professional mineral communities. I am very pleased to see him honored as the recipient of the 2016 Carnegie Mineralogical Award,” said Marc Wilson, curator of collections of the Section of Minerals at Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
Kampf spent his entire 40-year career at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. He currently holds the position of curator emeritus of the Mineral Sciences Department.
Kampf has guided the Mineral Sciences Department to national and international prominence in the areas of exhibition, collections, public programing, and research. His first major assignment at the museum was the final planning and installation of Gem and Mineral Hall, which opened in 1978 and is one of the best in the country.
Kampf oversaw a nearly tenfold increase in size and a significant increase in importance of the museum’s gem and mineral collection, principally by bringing in major donations and making important purchases. He established an effective support group and provided extensive public programming. He also planned and led many gem and mineral tours all over the world. He has also been a consulting editor of The Mineralogical Record (since 1995), Rocks & Minerals (since 1980), Gems & Gemology (since 1981), Mineralogical Magazine (since 2015), and American Mineralogist (1992-1995).
He has served on the board of directors of The Mineralogical Record, Inc. since 1983. He has been a member of the Society of Mineral Museum Professionals (and its predecessor, the Mineral Museums Advisory Council) since 1977, serving as a member of its board for most of that time. He has been a member of the Friends of Mineralogy since 1972, serving on the board of directors from 1978 to 1994, as vice president in 1980, and as president in 1981 and 1982.
He served as the United States’ delegate to the International Mineralogical Association Commission on Museums from 1992 to 2008 and has served as the United States’ delegate to the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature, and Classifications since 2008.
Kampf has authored more than 320 publications and has about 30 more awaiting publication. Nearly 200 of these are from the last 10 years, and the vast majority are peer-reviewed scientific papers. His research is mostly in the areas of descriptive mineralogy, crystal chemistry, and structural crystallography, focusing on the characterization of new or inadequately described minerals. He has now described 185 new mineral species.
The Carnegie Mineralogical Award was established in 1987 by Carnegie Museum of Natural History and underwritten by The Hillman Foundation. Previous recipients of the Carnegie Mineralogical Award include:
2015 Dr. George Harlow
2014 Bryon N. Brookmyer
2013 Gloria A. Staebler
2012 Dr. George W. Robinson
2011 Dr. Jeffrey E. Post
2010 The Rochester Mineralogical Symposium
2009 Dr. Peter K.M. Megaw
2008 Dr. Frank C. Hawthorne
2007 Jeffrey A Scovil
2006 Richard C. Whiteman
2005 June Culp Zeitner
2004 Dr. Joel A. Bartsch
2003 Dr. Eugene S. Meieran
2002 Dr. Terry C. Wallace, Jr.
2001 Dr. Wendell E. Wilson
2000 Dr. F. John Barlow
1999 Sterling Hill Mining Museum
1998 Robert W. Jones
1997 Bryan K. Lees
1996 Dr. Cornelis (Kase) Klein
1995 Marie E. Huizing
1994 The Mineralogical Record
1993 Dr. Cornelius S. Hurlbut, Jr.
1992 Dr. Carl A. Francis
1991 Dr. Miguel A. Romero Sanchez
1990 Paul E. Desautels
1989 Dr. Frederick H. Pough
1988 Dr. John Sinkankas
1987 The Tucson Gem & Mineral Society
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2017 Carnegie Mineralogical Award. Private mineral enthusiasts and collectors, educators, curators, mineral clubs and societies, museums, universities, and publications are eligible. For a nomination form, go to http://www.carnegiemnh.org/minerals/award.html, or contact Marc L. Wilson by phone at 412.622.3391 or by email at wilsonm@carnegiemnh.org.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History, one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, is among the top natural history museums in the country. It maintains, preserves, and interprets an extraordinary collection of artifacts, objects, and scientific specimens used to broaden understanding of evolution, conservation, and biodiversity. Carnegie Museum of Natural History generates new scientific knowledge, advances science literacy, and inspires visitors of all ages to become passionate about science, nature, and world cultures. More information is available by calling 412.622.3131 or by visiting the website, www.carnegiemnh.org.
For more information, contact:
Kathleen Bodenlos
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
412.622.3361 (office)
BodenlosK@carnegiemnh.org