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The University of Western Australia's Emeritus Professor David Groves has been awarded the prestigious Penrose Gold Medal for his outstanding contribution to earth sciences.

The medal is awarded each year by the US-based Society of Economic Geologists, the world's premier economic-focused earth science group.

Winthrop Professor Peter Cawood, winner of the internationally respected Mawson Medal in 2008, said the award was wonderful recognition of Professor Groves' excellent longstanding record of teaching and research at the University.

"Our School of Earth and Environment has benefitted enormously from David's many contributions in teaching, research and post-graduate student supervision.  The strength and reputation of the Centre for Exploration Targeting and its precursors is due in no small part to David's efforts," Professor Cawood said.

The Penrose Gold Medal was established in 1923 to be awarded primarily in recognition of a full career in the performance of "unusually original work in the earth sciences," encompassing major contributions to the science through research; the profession through teaching, program administration, and development of exploration technology; and the development of mineral resources through mine geology, exploration, and discovery.

As well as working in the UWA Centre for Exploration Targeting, Professor Groves is an honorary and adjunct staff member in the UWA School of Earth and Environment.  He has had a University prize named after him, The David Groves Prize for Postgraduate Research in Geology, in acknowledgement of his great contribution in supervising and encouraging postgraduate research in geology and geophysics.

The Geological Society of Australia has also named one of its most significant awards, the David I. Groves Award, in recognition of Professor Groves' remarkable contributions to the mentoring of young earth scientists throughout his career.

Professor Groves will receive the Penrose Gold Medal at The Society of Economic Geologists biennial conference at Keystone, Colorado, in the United States on October 3, 2010.

For more details visit: https://www.segweb.org/about/penrose.aspx

Media references

Emeritus Professor David Groves
(UWA Centre for Exploration Targeting)  (+61 4) 08 016 492
Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 5563 / (+61 4) 32 637 716