Mather Medal

Awards Ceremony

The Ohio Geological Survey announces the presentation of the Mather Medal recognizing outstanding contributions to Ohio geology to

Joseph T. Hannibal

Friday, September 13, 2024
Fawcett Event Center—The Ohio State University
2400 Olentangy River Road
Columbus, Ohio, 43210
fawcettcenter.com

AGENDA
6:00 PM   Social Hour/Cash Bar
7:00 PM   Plated Dinner
8:00 PM   Award Ceremony

Plated dinner: Choice of French Quarter pork chop, Tuscan buttermilk salmon, or meatless “meatloaf”; dinner includes salad, chocolate truffle layer cake dessert, and choice of beverage. A cash bar will be available. Those with questions about event registration or dietary restrictions may contact the Ohio Geological Survey by emailing geo.survey@dnr.ohio.gov or by calling (614) 265-6576.

Tickets should be purchased by September 8, 2024.

Cost is $40.00 per person

About Dr. Hannibal

Joe Hannibal is a well-known expert on paleontology—most notably, arthropods—and is Emeritus Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH), where he had been a curator for almost 4 decades. Joe has also been an adjunct faculty member at Case Western Reserve University for many years, has taught courses at Kent State and Cleveland State universities, and since 2020 has been teaching paleobiology at the University of Akron. He is a well-rounded scholar, holding degrees in geology, anthropology, and library science.

Joe’s love of geology and of sharing his knowledge knows no bounds. He is known for his passion, volunteering his time, and his welcoming personality. He has the reputation for being an extraordinary field trip leader, imparting much information while entertaining participants.

Joe has led geologically focused walking tours and field trips for the general public as part of the offerings of Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH), Summit County Historical Society, and other organizations. And he has given many talks on diverse geologic topics at meetings of geology and paleontology clubs, and for libraries, museums, galleries, and historical societies throughout northeastern Ohio and beyond. He has also been an invited speaker at university departments and technical conferences in the United States and Europe. Joe has made TV and radio appearances, including parts in the History Channel documentary Prehistoric Animals Revealed.

Dr. Hannibal has been an active member and volunteer officer of a host of geological organizations, with particular service to the Geological Society of America (GSA) and the Northern Ohio Geological Society (NOGS). He served as part of the leadership of the North-Central Section of GSA, especially during 8 years as secretary. He has helped organize GSA meetings, chaired many sessions, and led or co-led GSA field trips at sites across the eastern half of the United States from Baltimore to Nebraska, including—of course—several in Ohio, the latest to Youngstown in 2023. He has been an officer of NOGS since 1988. Joe has also been a member of the Heritage Stone Resource Subcommission (HSRS) (formerly Heritage Stone Task Group) of the International Union of Geological Sciences.

Joe has been an editor, associate editor, or co-editor of a variety of publications, including the CMNH journal Kirtlandia, the Journal of Paleontology, and a recent Geological Society of London volume on global heritage stone. Joe has researched and written or co-written many scientific papers and general articles on paleontological findings from around the world. These include papers on fossil millipedes from Poland, France, Czechia, China, Kansas, Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and on the giant myriapod Arthropleura from Ohio. While working at CMNH, he helped to develop numerous geologic and paleontological displays, including an Ohio Rocks! interactive exhibit.

Aside from paleontology, Joe is recognized as an expert in other areas, including building stones, cultural geology, stratigraphy, and the history of geology. He is one of the top experts on building stones and historical quarries in Ohio (and the region). Joe has written about the geology of many significant structures in Ohio, including houses of worship, canals, courthouses, libraries, and tunnels. He has also become an expert in the geological aspects of cemeteries, and the provenance of stone used for millstones, including stone imported from France that was used for millstones in Ohio and elsewhere in North America. His works have also included studies of geologists with connections to Ohio. Joe has also written articles related to geologic education, nontechnical articles for magazines and newspapers, and a great number of book reviews for various publications.

Joe has developed or co-developed more guidebooks for the Ohio Geological Survey than any other author, including guides to Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Ohio canals, and the Sharon Conglomerate. He wrote two of the chapters in Fossils of Ohio (O.G.S. Bulletin 70) and contributed two activities to the Survey’s Hands On Earth Science Activities series, one of which includes directions for making cookies that model the geology of Ohio.

Joe was part of several award-winning projects over the years. He had a key advisory role in the Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument rehabilitation project, which received the Cleveland Restoration Society and American Institute of Architects Cleveland Outstanding Preservation Achievement Award in 2010. He has been the recipient of the Jared Potter Kirtland Award (in recognition of outstanding professional achievement in the field of natural science) from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and a distinguished alumni award from the Kent State Department of Geology. Joe is especially thankful for his nomination for the Mather Medal, as so much of his educational and research activities have focused on Ohio and its rocks.