Chair-elect: University Senate, 2007 - 2009
Chair, Governance Council of University Senate, 2007
Member, Senate Executive Committee, 2007 - 2009
2007 Torch Award for outstanding contributions to the
undergraduate academic experience
Associate Director - New York Center for Studies on the
Origins of Life (NASA), 1998 - 2006
NASA Principal Investigator, Exobiology Program, 1998 - 2006
Board of Directors, Dudley Observatory, 2002 - 2004, 2005 - 2006
2005 Executive Award from the Science Teachers' Association
of New York State, 2005
Director, University's Astronomical Observatory (2002 - present)
State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Excellence in
Teaching
University at Albany President's Award for Excellence in Teaching
Activity on Professional Panels for Federal Agencies
(NASA) President's Commission on the Moon, Mars and Beyond, 2004
(invited testimony)
(NASA) Astrobiology Institutes Review Panel, 2003
(NSF) Math and Science Partnerships Review Panel, 2003, 2004
(NSF) Math and Science Partnerships Site Visit Team, 2004 (Chair),
2005 (Chair)
(NASA) Lunar and Planetary Geosciences Review Panel, 1994, 1995,
1996, 2005
(NASA) Discovery Missions Review Panel, 1994, 2006
Chair - Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, 1996 -
1999
COURSES TAUGHT (2005-present)
CHM 120 General Chemistry I (3 credits)
ENV 105 Introduction to Environmental Science (3 credits)
ENV 175H Dinosaurs in Jurassic Environments (4 credits; Honors College)
ENV 250 Energy and Resources (3 credits)
ENV 350Y Environmental Geochemistry (4 credits)
ENV 490H Topics in Environmental Science (3 credits; Honors College)
UFSP 100 Freshman Seminar Program (1 credit)
UNI 101H Foundations of Great Ideas (4 credits; Honors College)
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
Geochemical Society
Geological Society of America
American Chemical Society
Sigma Xi
Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society (Distinguished Member)
PUBLICATIONS (2000 - present)
57. Gray E. Q., Hocker C. L., Ponzo J. B., Coonrod K. R., and Delano J.
W., (2007). Theropod footprints at Dinosaur State Park in Rocky
Hill,
Connecticut, USA: Additional constraints on the trackmakers and the
physical environment. Ichnos (submitted for review in July 2007).
56. Ferris J. P.and Delano J. W.,
(2007). The RNA World scenario for the
origins of life, in Symposium Series of the American Chemical
Society. Oxford University Press. (invited chapter;
submitted February 2007)
55. Zellner N. E. B., Delano J. W.,
Swindle T. D., Barra F., Olsen E.,
and Whittet D. C. B., (2007). Chemical compositions and 40Ar/39Ar ages
of
eleven glasses from Apollo 17 regolith, 71501,262: A record of
impact events and mare volcanism.. Meteoritics and Planetary
Science, in final preparation.
54. Delano J. W., Zellner N.
E. B., Barra F., Olson E., Swindle T. D.,
Tibbetts N. J., and Whittet D. C. B., (2007). An integrated approach to
understanding Apollo 16 impact glasses: Chemistry, isotopes, and shape.
Meteoritics and Planetary Science, 42(6), p. 993-1004.
53. Zhu B., Delano J. W., and
Kidd W. S. F., (2005). Recovery of original
basalt composition from melt inclusions in detrital Cr-rich spinel: An
example from mid-Cretaceous sandstones in the eastern Himalaya. Earth
and Planetary Science Letters, 233, p. 295-309.
51. Zellner N. E. B., Spudis P. D., Delano
J. W., and Whittet D. C. B.,
(2002). Impact glasses from the Apollo 14 landing site and implications
for regional geology. Journal of Geophysical Research, 107 (E11), p.
5102-5115.
50. Delano J. W., (2001).
Redox history of the Earth's interior since
~3900 Ma: Implications for prebiotic molecules. Origin of Life and
Evolution of the Biosphere, 31, p. 311-341.
49. Elkins L. T., Fernandes V., Delano
J. W., and Grove T. L., (2000).
Origin of lunar ultramafic green glasses: Constraints from phase
equilibrium studies. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 64, p. 2339-2350.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
My research deals with environments on the early Earth (bombardment
history; composition of atmosphere during the Hadean era), and how
those environments influenced the emergence of sustainable life on this
planet. This work dealing with the bombardment history involves
chemical isotopic analyses of impact-produced glasses collected during
the Apollo missions to the Moon.
An Apollo 17 impact glass spherule measuring ~250
microns in diameter has an 40Ar/39Ar age of 130 +/- 25 Ma. The
planar surface in the center of the image is a polished surface that
allowed the sample to be chemically analyzed by electron microprobe
prior to its being removed from the adhesive and isotopically dated.
Information about
the composition of the volcanic gasses that entered the Archean/Hadean
atmosphere relies on the chemical behavior of transition elements
(e.g., Cr, V) as recorded by the whole-rock compositions of
basaltic-to-komatiitic rocks erupted on the Earth through time.
As discussed in Delano (2001), the composition of gases released
by high-temperature, terrestrial volcanism during the last ~3900 Ma has
remained nearly constant.
In addition, an emerging area of research deals with Jurassic
environments as recorded in the geochemical compositions of sedimentary
rocks in the Hartford Basin (Connecticut).
My family lives in rural setting not far from the UAlbany campus where
we are trying to use our professional knowledge of the environment to
live a "greener" life-style (i.e., practice what we preach). To
that end, we have (a) installed 3.2 kilowatts [kW] of solar panels for
generating ~40% of our annual home electrical energy usage, (b)
installed a
solar thermal system for generating most of our domestic hot water that
should displace ~2000 kWh of electrical energy annually, (c) purchase
the remainder of our electrical energy from renewable sources,
specifically wind, that is option available to all electric rate-payers
in New York State, and (d) participate in an ambitious recyling
campaign that has cut the volume of our domestic waste by nearly
75%. We host visits to our home by undergraduate students
majoring in Environmental Science and by students belonging to the
University's Honors College to illustrate our initiatives at trying to
live in a more environmentally responsible manner. Although we
have a long way to go before the goal of living sustainably is met, my
family has begun the journey and continues to make progress.
I have delivered ~180 invited talks since January 2000 to public and
professional groups.
UNIVERSITY SERVICE (2007)
Member, Tenure and Promotion Committee, College of Arts and Sciences
Member, Selection Committee for University Distinguished Professors
Member, President's Task Force for Environmental Sustainability
Co-Chair, Committee on Energy Use (President's Environmental
Sustainability Task Force)
Member, President's Advisory Council on the Prevention of Alcohol Abuse
Member, Honors College Governing Board
Member, Search Committee for Director of University Energy Programs
Member, Selection Committee for President's Award for Leadership
Chair-Elect, University Senate
Chair, Governance Council of University Senate
Member, Search Committee for Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Member, University Council
Member, University Retention Committee
Member, Senate Executive Committee
Member, SUNY Chancellor's Advisory Committee for UAlbany Interim
President
Graduate
student theses and dissertations
supervised
by Professor J.W. Delano at the University at Albany
Return to
Geological Sciences Directory
Return to
Geological Sciences index page
