Rate My Professor Harry McSween

Harry McSween is Chancellor's Professor Emeritus of Planetary Geoscience in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he joined the faculty in 1977 and served for 39 years until his retirement in 2016. He has held leadership roles including Head of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences on two occasions and Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. McSween earned a B.S. in chemistry from The Citadel in 1967, an M.S. in geology from the University of Georgia in 1969, and a Ph.D. in geology from Harvard University in 1977. His research specializes in planetary petrology and geochemistry, with a focus on the petrology and cosmochemistry of meteorites, martian meteorites, asteroid thermal history and remote sensing, and petrogenesis of terrestrial igneous and metamorphic rocks. He has contributed to numerous NASA spacecraft missions, beginning with the Mars Pathfinder rover science team in 1997, followed by roles as co-investigator on Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity, Phoenix lander, participating scientist on Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity, and OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission.

McSween's scholarly impact is evidenced by over 300 peer-reviewed publications, including highly cited works such as 'What we have learned about Mars from SNC meteorites' (1994), contributions to Mars rover investigations like 'In situ evidence for an ancient aqueous environment at Meridiani Planum, Mars' (2004, 1218 citations), and 'The thermal emission imaging system (THEMIS) for the Mars 2001 Odyssey Mission' (2004, 1141 citations). He has authored or edited key books including Geochemistry: Pathways and Processes, second edition (2003, with Steven M. Richardson and Maria Uhle), Meteorites and the Early Solar System II (2006, editor with Dante S. Lauretta), and Cosmochemistry (2010, with Gary R. Huss). His contributions advanced recognition of Martian origins for SNC meteorites and understanding of planetary crust compositions. Awards include election to the National Academy of Sciences (2021), Southeastern Conference Professor of the Year (2013), Leonard Medal of the Meteoritical Society (2002), J. Lawrence Smith Medal from the National Academy of Sciences, Whipple Award from the American Geophysical Union Planetary Science Division, and LeConte Medal from the South Carolina Science Council. He has served as President of the Meteoritical Society, Chair of the Geological Society of America's Planetary Division, and GSA Councilor and President, along with advisory roles for NASA and the National Research Council. Asteroid 5223 McSween is named in his honor.