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• Prof. James E. Martin Ph.D., FN’09

Prof. James E. Martin Ph.D., FN’09

James E. Martin was hired as a field assistant for the Museum of Geology, SD School of Mines and Technology, when he was 17 years old in 1967.  He has continued field explorations every year subsequently in western North America, Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.  As the result of his numerous discoveries, he was awarded the Royal Geographical Society of London/Discovery Channel Europe, International Discovery of the Year Award in 1999; was elected President of the SD Academy of Science in 1989; chosen as a distinguished alumnus, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in 2004, was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2008, and the James E. Martin Paleontology Research Laboratory, a 33,000 square foot educational facility was dedicated in his honor on SD School of Mines & Technology campus in 2011.  He has appeared in National Geographic Society, Discovery Channel, and Public Television documentaries where his research concerning marine reptile fossils and prehistoric mammals was showcased.  Under his direction, mosasaurs from the Age of Reptiles have been discovered with babies inside, diverse stomach contents, and evidence of aggressive intraspecific behavior with one whose head was chewed off by another of his own kind.  Plesiosaur skeletons also were discovered with stomach contents and with teeth stuck in their paddle, again illustrating aggressive behavior.  Numerous mammals have also been discovered including many newly named species and complete skeletons of beavers, horses, and others.  He is also the senior author of the geological map of the state of South Dakota, has authored nearly 100 articles, edited four books, and made hundreds of public lectures and scientific presentations.  His work concerning marsupial mammals proved routes for their dispersal at the end of the Age of Reptiles across Antarctica and the North Atlantic.