- Randall Schaetzl, Michigan State University
Randall Schaetzl is a soil geomorphologist whose work spans the disciplines of geography, soils, geology, and Earth science. Many know him by virtue of his best-selling textbook Soils: Genesis and Geomorphology (Second Edition, 2015, Cambridge University Press). His work on soils, loess, and glacial geology has earned him the title of University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University. Both the Geological Society of America and the Soil Science Society of America have rewarded him with the distinction of Fellow status. That said, he derives his greatest joy from teaching, and especially, from being in the field with students.
- Richard Marston, Kansas State University
Richard Marston is a University Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Geography and Geospatial Sciences at Kansas State University. He is a geomorphologist specializing in human effects on landform stability, including the effects of mining, wildfires, deforestation and reforestation, grazing, agriculture, river regulations, and military maneuvers. He has been appointed a Fellow in the American Association of Geographers (2017), American Association for the Advancement of Science (2006), Geological Society of America (1997), The Explorers Club (1995), and Royal Geographical Society (1991). He has been awarded Distinguished Career Awards by the Geomorphology and Mountain Geography specialty groups of the American Association of Geographers. Kansas State University has established the Marston Earth Systems Science (MESS) Lab for physical geography research.