DR. PHILIP L. KEHLER: A CHAMPION FOR GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION IN ARKANSAS

Dr. Philip L. Kehler was the founding chairman of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). He served as chairman from 1973-1978 and again from 1983-1997. He was hired to develop a geology program at the university, which began with the establishment of a minor in geology in 1975 and then a BS degree in geology in 1991. He retired from the department in 2000 and passed away in March 2017. Dr. Kehler’s legacy is very important in the state of Arkansas. He was a member of the Geological Society of America, Society for Sedimentary Geology, National Association of Geoscience Teachers, Arkansas Academy of Science, and Arkansas Science Teachers Association. He used his experience and knowledge to advocate for science education, particularly in strengthening science teacher training and licensure in Arkansas. He was a founding member of the Governor’s Earthquake Advisory Council, serving on it for over ten years, co-founded the Arkansas Center for Earthquake Education and Technology Transfer, and was member of the committee that helped the Arkansas Museum of Science and History mature into the Museum of Discovery. At UALR, he instilled a department culture of helping undergraduate students succeed through exposing them to the wonderful and diverse variety of cutting-edge research and applications in the geosciences. He did this by advocating for and providing undergraduate research experiences, getting students to do and see geology in the field, and by taking them to meetings of geoscience professional societies. His legacy lives on through the colleagues he mentored and all of the students who have and will pass through the department’s doors.