Michael Selby | |
---|---|
Born | Michael John Selby 13 January 1936
Luton,
Bedfordshire, England |
Died | 21 January 2018 | (aged 82)
Alma mater |
Keble College, Oxford University of Waikato |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Geomorphology |
Institutions | University of Waikato |
Thesis | Runoff, infiltration and soil erodibility studies in the Otutira catchment (1971) |
Michael John Selby ONZM (13 January 1936 – 21 January 2018) was a New Zealand geomorphologist, academic, and university administrator. Mount Selby in Antarctica's Britannia Range is named for him.
Born in Luton, Bedfordshire, England, on 13 January 1936, [1] Selby studied at Keble College, Oxford, gaining a BA(Hons), MA, and DipEd. [2] [3]
Selby came to New Zealand on the RMS Rangitata in 1960, [4] and was appointed as a junior lecturer at the Waikato branch of the University of Auckland. [5] On the establishment of the University of Waikato in 1964, he joined the new Department of Geography, and then the Department of Earth Sciences when it was formed in 1970. [6] [7] The following year, he completed a DPhil: the title of his doctoral thesis was Runoff, infiltration and soil erodibility studies in the Otutira catchment. [8] He was later awarded a Doctor of Science degree from the University of Oxford on the basis of his research linking concepts in geomorphology with quantitative measurements in engineering geology. [7]
Selby took part in either three [9] or four [7] field expeditions to Antarctica, including in 1968–69, 1971–72, and 1978–79. [9] On the first of these, he became the first geomorphologist to travel to Antarctica. [10] The 1978–79 trip to the Britannia Range– Darwin Glacier region was led by Selby, and mapped exposures in the McCraw Glacier area, and discovered iron meteorites on Derrick Peak. [6] Selby also made expeditions to the Sahara, Namib, and Atacama Deserts, as well as to the Himalayas and Colorado. [7] He also visited the Eastern Mediterranean after developing a research interest in archaeology and human evolution and dispersion. [7] In 1980, Selby was appointed as a professor of earth sciences at Waikato. [5] During his academic career, he wrote six books and more than 80 refereed scientific papers. [7]
In the later part of his career, Selby was part of the senior administrative team at Waikato, and served as deputy vice-chancellor (research). [5] [7] He took part in the Treaty of Waitangi negotiations with Waikato Tainui relating to the ownership of the university campus. [7] On his retirement from Waikato in 2002, Selby was granted the title of emeritus professor. [3] [5] He continued to serve the university as chair of the University of Waikato Foundation and as a director of companies commercialising research at the university. [5]
Selby became a naturalised New Zealander in 1980. [1] He died on 21 January 2018. [11]
In the 2005 New Year Honours, Selby was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to education. [12]
A peak in the Britannia Range in Antarctica was named Mount Selby, in honour of Selby, by the New Zealand Antarctic Placenames Committee. [6] [9]
Michael Selby | |
---|---|
Born | Michael John Selby 13 January 1936
Luton,
Bedfordshire, England |
Died | 21 January 2018 | (aged 82)
Alma mater |
Keble College, Oxford University of Waikato |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Geomorphology |
Institutions | University of Waikato |
Thesis | Runoff, infiltration and soil erodibility studies in the Otutira catchment (1971) |
Michael John Selby ONZM (13 January 1936 – 21 January 2018) was a New Zealand geomorphologist, academic, and university administrator. Mount Selby in Antarctica's Britannia Range is named for him.
Born in Luton, Bedfordshire, England, on 13 January 1936, [1] Selby studied at Keble College, Oxford, gaining a BA(Hons), MA, and DipEd. [2] [3]
Selby came to New Zealand on the RMS Rangitata in 1960, [4] and was appointed as a junior lecturer at the Waikato branch of the University of Auckland. [5] On the establishment of the University of Waikato in 1964, he joined the new Department of Geography, and then the Department of Earth Sciences when it was formed in 1970. [6] [7] The following year, he completed a DPhil: the title of his doctoral thesis was Runoff, infiltration and soil erodibility studies in the Otutira catchment. [8] He was later awarded a Doctor of Science degree from the University of Oxford on the basis of his research linking concepts in geomorphology with quantitative measurements in engineering geology. [7]
Selby took part in either three [9] or four [7] field expeditions to Antarctica, including in 1968–69, 1971–72, and 1978–79. [9] On the first of these, he became the first geomorphologist to travel to Antarctica. [10] The 1978–79 trip to the Britannia Range– Darwin Glacier region was led by Selby, and mapped exposures in the McCraw Glacier area, and discovered iron meteorites on Derrick Peak. [6] Selby also made expeditions to the Sahara, Namib, and Atacama Deserts, as well as to the Himalayas and Colorado. [7] He also visited the Eastern Mediterranean after developing a research interest in archaeology and human evolution and dispersion. [7] In 1980, Selby was appointed as a professor of earth sciences at Waikato. [5] During his academic career, he wrote six books and more than 80 refereed scientific papers. [7]
In the later part of his career, Selby was part of the senior administrative team at Waikato, and served as deputy vice-chancellor (research). [5] [7] He took part in the Treaty of Waitangi negotiations with Waikato Tainui relating to the ownership of the university campus. [7] On his retirement from Waikato in 2002, Selby was granted the title of emeritus professor. [3] [5] He continued to serve the university as chair of the University of Waikato Foundation and as a director of companies commercialising research at the university. [5]
Selby became a naturalised New Zealander in 1980. [1] He died on 21 January 2018. [11]
In the 2005 New Year Honours, Selby was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to education. [12]
A peak in the Britannia Range in Antarctica was named Mount Selby, in honour of Selby, by the New Zealand Antarctic Placenames Committee. [6] [9]