Kirk Johnson (scientist) explained

Kirk Johnson
Birth Name:Kirk Richard Johnson
Birth Place:Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Fields:Geology
Paleobotany
Workplaces:Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History
Alma Mater:Amherst College (BA)
University of Pennsylvania (MA)
Yale University (PhD)

Kirk R. Johnson (born 1960) is an American paleontologist, author, curator, and museum administrator, and is currently serving as Sant Director of Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.[1]

Early life and education

Johnson was born in 1960 and grew up in Seattle, Washington.[2] [3] He attended Amherst College as an undergraduate, where he received a bachelor's degree in geology and fine arts. He joined Chi Psi Fraternity. He then attended the University of Pennsylvania, earning a master's degree in geology and paleobotany.[4] He received his Ph.D. in geology and paleobotany from Yale University in 1989.

While in graduate school, in 1987, Johnson discovered an extinct species of linden leaf, which was named Tilia johnsoni in his honor.[5] His postdoctoral work included field research in the northern Australian rainforests, while he served as a postdoctoral research associate in the department of botany at the University of Adelaide.[6]

Career

From 1991 to 2012, Johnson worked at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, first as a lead scientist, then the chief curator and vice president of research and collections.[7] In 2010, he led a nine-month excavation of thousands of Ice Age animal bones, including mammoths and mastodons, in Snowmass Village, Colorado.[7]

In 2012 Johnson was selected to lead the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., one of the Smithsonian Institution’s most popular museums on the National Mall.[6] He is the host of the PBS Nova series, Making North America, which is a three-part series that describes the shaping of North America, which aired on November 4, 11 and 18, 2015.[8] [9] [10] In 2017 he hosted the three-part PBS series Great Yellowstone Thaw.[11] He is also the host of the two-hour Nova special Polar Extremes, first shown on February 5, 2020, which explores the history of the North and South Poles ranging from ice sheets to warm forests.[12]

Personal life

Johnson's sister, Kirsten Johnson, is a documentary filmmaker and cinematographer, whose Dick Johnson Is Dead explores their father's battle with dementia.[13]

Selected books

Awards and honors

External links

Notes and References

  1. Kirk Johnson Named Director of Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History . Smithsonian . July 26, 2012 . January 18, 2019 . dmy-all.
  2. Web site: The Real Seattle Underground: Rocks, Fossils, and the Future of the Pacific Northwest . Burke Museum . January 6, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140106105508/http://www.burkemuseum.org/events/browse/the_real_seattle_underground . January 6, 2014 . dead . dmy-all.
  3. Web site: Kirk Johnson . VIAF: Virtual International Authority File . January 18, 2019 . dmy-all . August 31, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230831231516/https://viaf.org/viaf/76565017/ . live .
  4. News: Kirk Johnson to head Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History . Graduate School News and Events . Yale University . November 12, 2012 . January 18, 2019 . dmy-all . August 31, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230831231521/https://gsas.yale.edu/news/kirk-johnson-head-smithsonians-museum-natural-history . live .
  5. Book: Wesley Wehr . The Accidental Collector: Art, Fossils, & Friendships . January 2004 . University of Washington Press . 978-0-295-80256-5 . 196 ff . dmy-all.
  6. News: O’Neal Parker . Lonnae . Kirk Johnson named director of Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History . January 18, 2019 . . July 26, 2012 . dmy-all . April 9, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190409020433/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/smithsonian-names-new-director-of-natural-history-museum/2012/07/26/gJQArqpSBX_story.html . live .
  7. News: Zongker, Brett . Smithsonian picks paleontologist to lead DC museum . January 18, 2019 . . July 26, 2012 . dmy-all . August 31, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230831231518/https://www.denverpost.com/2012/07/26/smithsonian-picks-paleontologist-to-lead-dc-museum/ . live .
  8. Web site: Making North America . 4 November 2015 . . January 18, 2019 . dmy-all . August 31, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230831231518/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/series/making-north-america/ . live .
  9. Web site: Making North America . PBS/SGPTV . January 18, 2019 . dmy-all.
  10. Smithsonian's Kirk Johnson Steps up to be the rock star of geology . . Roger . Catlin . November 3, 2015 . dmy-all.
  11. Web site: Great Yellowstone Thaw. PBS. 16 January 2024.
  12. Web site: Polar Extremes. PBS. 5 February 2020 . 12 February 2021. 31 August 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230831232122/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/polar-extremes/. live.
  13. Web site: Zuckerman . Esther . Netflix Doc 'Dick Johnson Is Dead' Is One of 2020's Must-See Films . Thrillist . 2 October 2020 . 5 January 2021 . 31 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230831232044/https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/dick-johnson-is-dead-interview-kirsten-johnson . live .
  14. Web site: AAAS Honors Three Smithsonian Scientists as Lifetime Fellows. Smithsonian Institution. 2023-08-31. 2023-08-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20230831232039/https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/aaas-honors-three-smithsonian-scientists-lifetime-fellows. live.

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