SAVE the DATE - May 8th: A celebration of Gerald Schubert's Life in Science

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EPSS Chair

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Jan 21, 2026, 3:08:24 PMJan 21

to earthscop...@earthscope.org, Lithgow-Bertelloni, Carolina

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Dear all,

The Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences will host an event to celebrate the remarkable career of Professor Jerry Schubert on May 8th, 2026, at UCLA in Hershey Hall. This all-day celebration will feature talks spanning the breadth (some!) of Jerry’s contributions to Geophysics and Planetary Science, panels of former students and collaborators, and an opportunity to share reminiscences. Please let us know if you plan to attend (in person or remotely) by completing this Google form.

Professor Emeritus Gerald Schubert passed away at 86 years of age on Sunday, August 31st, 2025. Jerry was one of the pre-eminent geophysicists of his generation and a leading light in developing the mathematical and physical framework of plate tectonics and the mantle convective processes that underlie it. His text ‘Geodynamics’, with Don Turcotte, remains the essential textbook for all upper-level undergrad and grad courses on applying physics to a broad swath of geologic processes. His following text, ‘Mantle Convection’, written with Turcotte and Olson, is again the definitive text in the field. His interests extended far and wide, from deep planetary dynamos to breaking waves in the uppermost atmosphere, with a seminal paper often written on any topic he turned his mind to. Jerry was an incisive and elegant thinker who left no stone unturned.

Best regards,
Jonathan Aurnou
On behalf of the Organizing Committee

Organizing Committee:
Jonathan Aurnou
David Bercovici
Carolina Lithgow-Bertelloni
David Sandwell

Jonathan Aurnou
Chair & Professor of Geo- & Planetary Physics
Department of Earth, Planetary & Space Sciences
University of California, Los Angeles