UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — James Kasting, Evan Pugh University Professor Emeritus of Geosciences at Penn State, has been named an Atherton Professor, one of three emeritus professors to receive the new title. The University created the Atherton Professorship to recognize the continuing high level of scholarly or creative activity Evan Pugh University Professors may pursue after their retirement.
The Evan Pugh University Professorship is the highest distinction bestowed upon faculty by Penn State. Since the establishment of the designation in 1960, only 79 faculty members have been named as Evan Pugh University Professors.
The new professorship recognizes emeritus Evan Pugh University Professors for their exceptional record of research and creative accomplishment, teaching and learning, and service over the course of their careers, and allows for the continuation of these activities to the benefit of the University community.
The other two inaugural Atherton Professors are Abhay Ashtekar, Evan Pugh University Professor Emeritus of Physics, and George Andrews, Evan Pugh University Professor Emeritus of Mathematics.
“The impact of Jim’s career in teaching, research and service has been outstanding,” said Lee Kump, John Leone Dean in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. “Our college has benefited tremendously by having someone of his caliber as part of our faculty. I am proud to see him be recognized with such an esteemed honor. This is well-deserved and will allow Jim to pursue additional scientific endeavors.”
Kasting is a planetary scientist who is recognized for his work on planetary habitability and on the composition of Earth’s early atmosphere. A world expert in the evolution of Earth’s climate and atmosphere, Kasting's investigations of the evolution of carbon dioxide and other atmospheric gases — oxygen, methane, nitrous oxide — provided insight into the proliferation of life on early Earth. His research has also focused on the study of habitable zones around other stars, a field that is critical to the search for extraterrestrial life. He has made major contributions to the search for life on other planets, including refining the concept of the “habitable zone” — the area around a star where a planet can support liquid water and possibly life.
“It is a great honor and privilege to be among the first three to be named as Atherton Professors,” said Kasting. “I am very appreciative of the opportunity this provides to continue my academic pursuits. I am currently advising two doctoral candidates and we are using models in an intercomparison study on the rise of ozone and have improved these models. I hope to share these findings with other scientists. I am also active in writing books including revising our textbook, ‘The Earth System.’ I look forward to undertaking other initiatives through this professorship.”
Kasting joined the Penn State faculty in 1988 as an associate professor of geosciences and meteorology. In 2003 he was named a distinguished professor of geosciences, in 2005 he received the Faculty Scholar Medal, and in 2012 he was named an Evan Pugh University Professor. In 2020, he was named the inaugural director of Penn State’s Consortium for Planetary and Exoplanetary Sciences and Technology. He retired June 30, 2022.
Prior to coming to Penn State, he was a research scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center and spent two years at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.
In his nearly 35 years at Penn State, Kasting advised or co-advised many graduate students and postdocs, many of whom today hold prominent positions at NASA and at academic institutions throughout the world.
He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life, the American Geophysical Union, the Geochemical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
Kasting received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and physics from Harvard University, two master’s degrees, one in physics and one in atmospheric science, and a doctorate in atmospheric science, from the University of Michigan.