Virgil L. (Buck) Sharpton is the Associate Director for Science at the

Lunar and Planetary Institute The Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) is a scientific research institute dedicated to study of the Solar System, its formation, evolution, and current state. The Institute is part of the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) and is supp ...

(LPI) in

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. Prior to joining the LPI in 2011, he was Vice Chancellor for Research at the

University of Alaska Fairbanks The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF or Alaska) is a public land-grant research university in College, Alaska, a suburb of Fairbanks. It is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska system. UAF was established in 1917 and opened for cla ...

(UAF). He is also the founder and former director of th
Geographic Information Network of Alaska
(GINA) which provides access to university data and information services across the state.

Education

Sharpton earned a B.S. with high honors in Geology at

Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale, Michigan. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids. The universit ...

in 1979 and a M.S. and a Ph.D. in Geological Sciences at

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

in 1981 and 1984, respectively.

Career

After receiving his Ph.D. in Geological Sciences, from 1984 to 1986 Sharpton was a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Post Doctoral Fellow for the

Geological Survey of Canada The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC; french: Commission géologique du Canada (CGC)) is a Canadian federal government agency responsible for performing geological surveys of the country, developing Canada's natural resources and protecting the en ...

. He became a Senior Staff Scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute affiliated with the

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Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight (originally named the Manned Spacecraft Center), where human spaceflight training, research, and flight control are conducted. It was renamed in honor of the late U ...

and served there for 14 years. He joined the faculty at the UAF in 1998 with a joint appointment between the

Geophysical Institute The Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks conducts research into space physics and aeronomy; atmospheric sciences; snow, ice, and permafrost; seismology; volcanology; and tectonics and sedimentation. It was founded in 1946 by ...

and the Department of Geology and Geophysics at th
College of Natural Science and Mathematics
and was awarded tenure in 2000. In 2001 he was awarded one of the six presidential professorships across the

University of Alaska The University of Alaska System is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Alaska. It was created in 1917 and comprises three separately accredited universities on 19 campuses. The system serves nearly 30,000 full- and part-time stud ...

system and held the title of President's Professor of Remote Sensing. In May 2005 he was named Vice Chancellor for Research at the UAF. As Vice Chancellor for Research, he assisted the Chancellor in setting the research agenda at the university. He managed the Center for Research Services,

International Arctic Research Center The International Arctic Research Center, or IARC, established in 1999, is a research institution focused on integrating and coordinating study of Climate change in the Arctic. The primary partners in IARC are Japan and the United States. Partici ...

, Office of Electronic Miniaturization, Institute of Arctic Biology, and various research programs. Sharpton also served as the university representative to th
Arctic Research Consortium of the United States
(ARCUS)
Inland Northwest Research Alliance
(INRA), and

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) is a US nonprofit consortium of more than 100 colleges and universities providing research and training in the atmospheric and related sciences. UCAR manages the National Center for Atmosph ...

(UCAR). Sharpton worked closely with several government agencies in developing new uses for satellite remote sensing and information management and led the data retrieval and management activities of the State Committee on Research (SCoR). He worked through the Governor's Office to identify ways that the capabilities centered at the university could be utilized more effectively within state agencies. He became a member of Governor

Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 R ...

’s

Climate Change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

Sub-CabinetAlaska Climate Change Strategy
/ref> and sat on a variety of NASA review panels as well as state and local advisory boards. He joined the LPI in November 2011 and in June 2012 became its Associate Director for Science.

Awards and honors

In addition to being awarded the President's Professorship at the UAF, his honors include * Tulip City Rock and Mineral Club Award (1979) * William F. Malar Scholarship (1981–1984) * Government of Canada Group Achievement Award (1992) *

NASA Group Achievement Award The NASA Group Achievement Award (GAA) is an award given by NASA to groups of government or non-government personnel in recognition of group accomplishments contributing to NASA's mission. The criteria for earning the Group Achievement Award are ...

(1992) * Geophysical Institute Director's Faculty Achievement Award (2001) * AmericaView's Legacy Award for leadership (2006)

References

External links

Virgil Sharpton’s Profile in the Lunar and Planetary Institute Scientific Staff Directory
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharpton, Virgil L. Living people American planetary scientists University of Alaska Fairbanks faculty Grand Valley State University alumni Brown University alumni Year of birth missing (living people)