ROBERT H. DOTT, JR.: TEACHER AND MENTOR

In 36 years as a University of Wisconsin at Madison geology professor, Robert “Bob” H. Dott, Jr. taught, mentored, and was a role model for 4 postdoctoral students, 27 Ph.D. students, 35 Masters students, and countless undergraduates. His approach to teaching Earth history and sedimentary geology changed the pedagogy of those disciplines.

With a strong interest in the history of science, a love of mountains since childhood, and a fascination for reconstructing ancient geography, Dott taught historical geology with equal emphasis on tectonics, sedimentation, paleogeography, paleoenvironments, paleontology, and biological evolution. Discussion of these topics generally started with their historical roots. This approach is widely utilized by his former students and by their students.

Unlike classical sedimentary geology, which emphasized stratigraphic formations and index fossils, Bob’s sedimentology course was quantitative, process-oriented, and stressed the application of physics to the interpretation of sediment and sedimentary rocks. His course in the physical aspects of sedimentation synthesized his own work and the work of J.R.L. Allen, Boswell, Folk, Harms, Hunter, Krumbein, Middleton, Pettijohn, Southard, Van Olphen, and others.

Professor Dott also taught the Wisconsin field camp for many years and later taught a field seminar on Sapelo Island, Georgia. He viewed field instruction as vital for geology courses. A clear, well-organized presenter, Bob was skilled at posing one or more problems and engaging students intellectually in solving them.

Outside the classroom, Bob’s office door was literally always open and he was dedicated to working with his students individually and collaboratively. He modeled intellectual honesty, a curiosity for science and its history, and critical thinking. Over two dozen of Bob’s undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students have continued his work as college geology professors.