Kansas State University

Dr. Sambhudas Chaudhuri retired in December 2017, after 52 years of service to the Department of Geology and Kansas State University. Read on to find out how you can help to establish a scholarship in his honor.

Sam was hired as an Assistant Professor in August of 1966, after receiving his PhD from Ohio State University that same year.  At K-State, Sam was promoted to Associate Professor in 1972 and to full Professor in 1981.  As a geochemist, Sam taught advanced classes on isotope geology, clay mineralogy, and sedimentary geochemistry; but he did not limit his teaching to geology majors.  He shared his passion for the subject with students of all disciplines by teaching numerous introductory geology classes.  We estimate Sam has taught well over 15,000 K-State students in his many years of service!  The quality of his teaching and devotion to his students were recognized in 1994 with a Stamey Teaching Award from the College of Arts and Sciences.

Sam’s reach, in terms of research, was similarly wide ranging, including not only geochemical studies of waters (rivers, oceans and rainfall) and oil-field brines and oils, but also plants, termites and earthworms!  In addition to numerous publications in international journals, Sam was co-author of two books, one on Clays in Crustal Environments and another on the Isotopic Signatures and the Sedimentary Record.  He received international recognition when he was made an International Fellow of the French National Academy of Sciences and received a medal for his original contributions to the field of earth sciences in collaboration with French colleagues.

Sam’s interest in research has never faded over the years, and one of his most recent accomplishments has been to shed light on a long-standing problem in petroleum geology:  the timing of oil formation in shale rocks.  Through his latest research, he has been able to constrain the timing of oil formation in shale rocks with a far greater clarity than was previously possible.  Sam, active as ever, will be presenting the results of his research at the next Mid-Continent meeting of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists in March, 2018.

In recognition of Sam’s long-lasting and far-reaching contribution to the Department of Geology, the Alumni Advisory Council executive committee is proposing and supporting the creation of a new student scholarship (More information here). If you would like to help establish this scholarship, please contact Sarah Watson swatson@gsinetwork.com.