A February 2024 Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH) press release announced its selection for the 2023 Carnegie Mineralogical Award. Last year's award winner was Robert T. Downs, professor emeritus in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arizona. Dr. Downs won for developing and managing the RRUFF mineralogical database.
In 1987, CMNH established the award, which is funded by the Hillman Foundation. The award winner is typically someone who has made significant strides in mineralogical preservation, conservation, and education. Candidates eligible for the award are educators, private collectors and enthusiasts, mineral clubs and societies, curators, and mineral symposiums, publications, and universities.
Travis Olds, assistant curator of minerals at CMNH, stated that Dr. Downs work has influenced countless others from all walks of life. Borrowing language from one of the professor's colleagues, he added that Dr. Downs's impact on the field has been profound, lasting, and unique.
Dr. Downs's career reflects his commitment to this field, having taught thousands of students. More significantly, his research track record has culminated in publishing over 300 peer-reviewed papers and co-authoring three books. He was a second author on JGR Planets, a paper summarizing a survey of Martian minerals as a part of researching mineral diversity on the planet. He was also the principal investigator on Curiosity, the Mars rover project that was part of the Mars Science Laboratory mission. In addition, he was integral to launching the University of Arizona Norville Gem & Mineral Museum in Tucson, which will further advance mineral education at the university.
Of all his accomplishments, Dr. Downs is perhaps most known for his work on the RRUFF mineralogical database. This platform is an open-access mineral database, one of the most widely used globally. Furthermore, RRUFF has changed informational sharing and storage among researchers, mineral collectors, dealers, and enthusiasts.
In addition to information sharing, the project offers geoscientists, gemologists, and mineralogists a standard to identify minerals. Using spectral data from well-defined minerals, these professionals and enthusiasts will be better able to identify minerals on Earth and as part of planetary explorations.
One benefit of RRUFF is that it relies on comparisons using Raman instrument technology, x-ray diffraction, and chemistry data, taking out the guesswork for researchers. Raman spectroscopy analyzes mineral and rock varieties. This information provides researchers with enough data to know more about mineral composition and make inferences about the environment from which they sourced the mineral. RRUFF allows researchers to share information they generate from their Raman readings. Alternatively, x-ray diffraction helps researchers determine crystalline structure or mineral composition.
The project's relevance is apparent in the growing need for a database that allows researchers to share information. According to the RRUFF website, the ever-increasing interest in this database has occurred in part because more practitioners are using miniature Raman devices. The market now offers a diverse array of these devices, and prices continue to fall. The project's website encourages gem collectors and mineral enthusiasts to contribute to the library by donating samples from a list on the website.
Dr. Downs received the award on February 10, 2024, from Olds, who presented it at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. Downs responded that he was “thankful for a life in mineralogy that provided me the excitement of discovery.” He added that he was honored to be selected as the 2023 recipient.
The CMNH is taking applications for the 2024 Carnegie Mineralogical Award until November 15, 2024. For more information on this award or to make nominations, please email the assistant curator for the Section of Minerals & Earth Sciences (Olds) at oldst@carnegiemnh.org.
