Robert Herrick
Research Professor of Geophysics
Biographical Sketch:
- Ph.D., Geophysics, 1993, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas
- M.S., Geophysics, 1988, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
- B.S., Geophysics, 1985; B.S., Physics, 1985; Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas
- Research - Using a variety of geological and geophysical techniques and data sets, Dr. Herrick studies planetary resurfacing histories and the impact cratering process. Techniques that he has used include spherical harmonic modeling of gravity and topography, photogeology, geologic field work, reflection seismology, photogrammetry, magnetic prospecting, experimental impacts, and finite-difference modeling. He has worked with topography, gravity, and imagery data from planetary missions that span the solar system.
- Management - Dr. Herrick managed the Education and Public Outreach Department at the Lunar and Planetary Institute for a year, and he has supervised professionals, technicians, research assistants, undergraduate interns, and graduate students at various times during his career.
- Outreach - In addition to planning and management, he has conducted teacher workshops, taught local students, created outreach products, and given guest lectures. He currently manages a statewide program that teaches space science with a digital portable planetarium.
- Hobbies - Dr. Herrick's hobbies are primarily endurance sports, particularly swimming and triathlons.
Present Research Interests:
- Venus – Adapting photogrammetric and radargrammetric processing techniques to generating topography from stereo SAR data from the Magellan data; utilizing stereo-derived topography to study regional-scale volcanism and tectonics.
- Impact cratering – Interplanetary and intraplanetary comparisons of impact craters at the simple-complex and central-peak to peak-ring transitions to infer the influence of various target and impactor properties on the cratering process; studies of the shapes of planetary simple craters using shadow measurement techniques on bodies with poor topographic data.
Professional Memberships and Awards:
- American Geophysical Union (AGU) – Member, Planetary Sciences section
- Venus Exploration and Analysis Group (VEXAG) – Member, Venus Exploration Goals, Objectives, and Strategies Focus Group
Positions Held:
- (July, 2004 – Present) Research Professor, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks. Maintain research program and supervise students and staff; supervise portable planetarium outreach program; occasionally teach graduate and undergraduate courses.
- (1993 – 2004) Staff Scientist, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston. Conducted research and helped develop, and then later managed, LPI's education and public outreach program.
- (2002 – 2003) Adjunct faculty, Rice University. Undergraduate course The Planets.
- (1994) Adjunct faculty, University of Houston - Clear Lake. Graduate Planetary Geology course.
- (1989 – 1992) Graduate Research Assistant and Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Geological Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas.
- (1985 – 1988) Senior Geophysicist, Exploration Data Processing Center, Exxon, Houston. General marine and land seismic reflection data processing, managed processing for several 3-D marine surveys, tested new processing software.
- (1984 – 1985) Lab Instructor, Geophysics Department, Texas A & M University, College Station. Instructed lab for survey course in geophysical exploration.
- (1984) Field Hand, Party 7, Professional Geophysics, Inc., Lufkin, Texas.
Selected Publications:
- Herrick, R. R., D. L. Stahlke, and V. L. Sharpton, Fine-scale Venusian topography from Magellan stereo data, EOS, Transactions, American Geophysical Union, 93, No. 12, 125-126, 2012.
- Herrick, R. R., L. L. Curran, and A. T. Baer, A Mariner/MESSENGER global catalog of Mercurian craters, Icarus, 215, 452-454, 2011.
- Herrick, R. R., and M. E. Rumpf, Postimpact modification by volcanic or tectonic processes as the rule, not the exception, for Venusian craters, J. Geophys. Res 116, E02004, doi:10.1029/2010JE003722, 2011.
- Herrick, R., G. Osinski, and E. Pierazzo, Proceedings of the workshop, Bridging the Gap II: Effect of target properties on the impact cratering process, Meteoritics and Planetary Science, 43, 1915-1916, 2008 [Co-convener and co-editor of abstract volume and special issue of Meteoritics and Planetary Science for this workshop].
- Herrick, R. R., and K. K. Hessen, The planforms of low-angle impact craters in the northern hemisphere of Mars , Meteoritics and Planetary Science, 41, 1483-1495, 2006.
- Herrick, R. R., J. Dufek, and P. J. McGovern, Evolution of large shield volcanoes on Venus, J. Geophys. Res., 110 , E01002, doi:10.1029/2004JE002283, 2005.
- Pierazzo, E., and R. Herrick, Proceedings of the workshop, Impact cratering: Bridging the gap between modeling and observations, Meteoritics and Planetary Science, 39, 167-168, 2004 [Co-convener and co-editor of abstract volume and special issue of Meteoritics and Planetary Science for this workshop].
- Herrick, R. R., V. L. Sharpton, M. C. Malin, S. N. Lyons, and K. Feely, Morphology and morphometry of impact craters, in Venus II, eds. S. W. Bougher, D. M. Hunten, and R. J. Phillips, U. of Arizona Press, Tucson, 1015-1046, 1997.
- Herrick, R. R., Corona (Venus), pp. 163-164; Hot spot tectonics, p. 310; and Tesserae, pp. 807-808; articles for Encyclopedia of Planetary Sciences, eds. J. H. Shirley and R. W. Fairbridge, Chapman and Hall, London, 1997.
- Herrick, R. R., and R. J. Phillips, Geological correlations with the interior density structure of Venus, J. Geophys. Res., 97, 16,017-16,034, 1992.
