Robert P. Sharp

Robert Phillip Sharp, known as Robert P. Sharp, was an American geomorphologist and planetary scientist who lived from 1911 to 2004 and studied the geological surfaces of both Earth and Mars. He conducted extensive research on glacial geomorphology in the Sierra Nevada, the Olympic Peninsula and Alaska, on desert processes including sand dune formation and wind blown sand physics in the Mojave Desert, and contributed as an expert on extraterrestrial surfaces to planetary geology research on Mars. As chairman of the California Institute of Technology own Division of Geological Sciences from 1952 to 1968 he built the modern department, recruiting faculty in geochemistry, tectonic geomorphology, planetary science and field geology, and mentored doctoral students who went on to careers at the United States Geological Survey and leading universities. He received the National Medal of Science in 1989 and the Kirk Bryan Award for geomorphology, and a crater on Mars and asteroid 5426 Sharp are both named in his honor. He received the Penrose Medal in 1977.