James Taranik

James Vladimir Taranik (April 23, 1940 – June 21, 2011)[1][2] was an American scientist and educator who worked in the area of earth-observation satellite remote sensing. He was Chief of NASA's Non-Renewable Resources Branch and Program Scientist of the Space Shuttle's first scientific flights with cargo[9][10] that included experiments related to geology, atmospheric chemistry, meteorology, marine biology, and plant physiology in the earth and life sciences. He also held various positions in the Nevada System of Higher Education, including the Desert Research Institute and the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering.

James V. Taranik
Born(1940-04-23)April 23, 1940[1][2]
Los Angeles, California[1][2]
DiedJune 21, 2011(2011-06-21) (aged 71)[1][2]
EducationStanford University[2]
Colorado School of Mines[2]
Spouse(s)Colleen Taranik[3][4]
ChildrenDan Taranik, Debra Chittur[3][4]
Scientific career
FieldsGeology, Remote sensing
InstitutionsNASA[5]
Mackay School of Mines[6]
Desert Research Institute[7]
ThesisStratigraphic and Structural Evolution of Breckenridge Area, Central Colorado[8] (1975)

Early and personal life

Taranik graduated from Stanford University in 1962 with a B.S. in Geology, where he also earned a varsity letter as captain of the water polo team.[3][11] He served as Staff Geologist for two years in 1966–1967 for the U.S. Army Engineer Command Headquarters in Vietnam, during which time he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.[12][13] In 1975, he received his Ph.D. in Geology from the Colorado School of Mines,[3][14] for his geological mapping study, Stratigraphic and Structural Evolution of Breckenridge Area, Central Colorado.[8]

He was the great-great-grandson of Sergeant Patrick Gass, an officer of the 1804-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition, established to explore and map the newly acquired western half of the United States.[15] Gass wrote the first printed journal of the expedition.

Taranik died just nine days before his planned retirement from his position as Director of the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering.[4][16] He and his wife, Colleen, had two children, Dan and Debra, and three grandchildren.[4]

Career

Taranik's career began in 1971 at the Iowa Geological Survey, where he founded the Iowa Remote Sensing Laboratory.[2][17] While in Iowa, he also taught at the University of Iowa, including pioneering aerospace remote sensing courses.[18] He next served as Principal Remote Sensing Scientist at the EROS Data Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, under the auspices of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), from 1975 to 1979.[18][19] In 1979, he became branch chief of the Non-Renewable Resources section at NASA headquarters in Washington, DC,[2] where he managed NASA's programs for engineering development and flight of aerospace technology for solid earth applications.[18] He was the Program Scientist for the first set of scientific instruments sent up on the Space Shuttle as cargo in 1981,[6][4] having served in that role for both of the first two Space Shuttle launches.[2] He was awarded NASA's Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal in 1982.[5]

He was dean of the Mackay School of Mines at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) from 1982–1987, during which time he also served as a full professor in UNR's Department of Geological Sciences.[18] Taranik left UNR to become President of the Desert Research Institute[20] — the environmental research arm of the Nevada System of Higher Education — from 1987–1998.[1]

Taranik established the Strategic Materials Research, Education and Policy Center and the Cooperative Institute for Aerospace Science and Terrestrial Applications (CIASTA). He was Founding Program Director and Principal Investigator for the Nevada System of Higher Education NASA Space Grant Consortium[5] and the NASA Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). Taranik also served on the board of directors for Newmont Gold, and subsequently its affiliate Newmont Mining Corporation, from 1986 to 2010.[16][21] He was an advocate for Newmont's expansion of its sustainability programs.[16][22]

In 1987, he took on the role of President and CEO of the Desert Research Institute in Nevada, a statewide institute of the Nevada System of Higher Education devoted to cross-disciplinary environmental research. He would hold that position until 1998, when he retired as President Emeritus.[1] As President, he refined DRI's mission for strategic and budgetary planning, created DRI Research Parks, and established new facilities for the Northern Nevada Science Center and the Southern Nevada Science Center.[6] Under his leadership, the first Nevada Medal was awarded in 1988 to recognize exceptional scientific achievement.[7] During this time, Taranik also served as a technical advisor to the Naval Research Laboratory's Hyperspectral Digital Imagery Collection Experiment (HYDICE).[5]

In 1994, Taranik was a designee on the Pre-Launch Review Board for NASA's SIR-C/X-SAR missions.[20] He was a Director of Earth Satellite Corporation (EarthSat) from 1997-2002.[4]

In 1998, Taranik returned to the Mackay School of Mines to resume teaching and research activities as Regents Professor and Chair of the Arthur Brant Endowed Chair of Exploration Geophysics.[1][14] In 2000, Taranik became the founding director of the Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy[6][4] and the Arthur Brant Laboratory for Exploration Geophysics at UNR. In 2003, as Acting Dean, he oversaw Mackay School of Mines's transition to the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering (MSESE).[1][6] The following year, he became MSESE's first Director, a position he would hold until 2009, when he stepped down to focus on teaching as part of the Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering faculty.[4]

Professional associations and memberships

Selected publications

Taranik, J.; Settle, M. (1981). "Space shuttle: A new era in terrestrial remote sensing". Science. 214 (4521): 619–626. doi:10.1126/science.214.4521.619. PMID 17839633.

Settle, M.; Taranik, J. (1982). "Use of the space shuttle for remote sensing research: Recent results and future prospects". Science. 218 (4576): 993–995. doi:10.1126/science.218.4576.993. PMID 17790587.

Taranik, J. (1982). "Geological remote sensing and space shuttle: A major breakthrough in mineral exploration technology". Mining Congress Journal. 68 (7): 18–23.

gollark: Is it Turing-complete?
gollark: Ah, thank you.
gollark: But I'm in the UK, what am I meant to do? HELP ME!
gollark: Or "Golang", since "Go" is an awful name and unsearchable.
gollark: yep.

References
  1. "Dr. James Taranik". Reno Gazette-Journal. 2011-06-28. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  2. "Obituaries: James V. Taranik". Mining Engineering. Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration. 2011-08-01. Archived from the original on 2016-04-18. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  3. "Obituaries". Stanford Alumni Magazine. November/December 2011. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  4. "Remembering Friends". Nevada Silver & Blue. University of Nevada, Reno. Summer 2011. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  5. "Appendix B: NASA Federal Laboratory Review Task Force Members". NASA.gov. NASA Federal Laboratory Review. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  6. Wharton, Claudene (2011-06-22). "University saddened by death of former Mackay School dean". Nevada Today. University of Nevada, Reno. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  7. "Regents' Resolution Commends Dr. James Taranik's Service as DRI President" (Press release). Desert Research Institute. 1998-06-18. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  8. "Colorado School of Mines — Department of Geology and Geological Engineering — Theses Completed" (PDF). 2013-05-07. p. 18. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  9. Taranik, James V.; Settle, Mark (1981-11-06). "Space Shuttle: A New Era in Terrestrial Remote Sensing". Science. 214: 619–626. doi:10.1126/science.214.4521.619. PMID 17839633.
  10. Cowen, Robert C. (1981-12-08). "Shuttle Experiments a Big Success". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  11. Trent, John (2011-09-09). "Taranik memorial set for Sept. 12". Nevada Today. University of Nevada, Reno. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  12. Taranik, James V. The Physical Geography of South Vietnam. (U.S. Army, 1967)
  13. Taranik, James V. Summary of Geologic Information on the Mekong Terrace, Vietnam. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1967)
  14. "James 'Jim' V. Taranik PhD '75". Mines Magazine. Colorado School of Mines. 2012-03-19. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  15. Taranik, Jeannette (1980). "The Patrick Gass Photographs and Portraits: A Sequel" (PDF). We Proceeded On. Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation. p. 19. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  16. Kosich, Dorothy (2011-06-27). "Death of former Mackay Mines Dean Jim Taranik brings an end to illustrious career". Mineweb.com. Archived from the original on 2015-02-22. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  17. "Remote Sensing: Brief History of Remote Sensing Activity and Related Initiatives in Iowa". Iowa Geographic Information Council. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  18. Taranik, James V. "James V. Taranik — President — Desert Research Institute — Arthur Brant Chair of Geology and Geophysics". AGI Geoscience Workforce Program. American Geosciences Institute. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  19. Lucas, James R.; Taranik, James V.; Billingsley, Frederic C. (1976-05-03). "Land Classification of South-Central Iowa from Computer-Enhanced Images" (PDF). NASA.gov. NASA Technical Reports Server. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  20. "James V. Taranik — President — Desert Research Institute — Arthur Brant Chair of Geology and Geophysics". Geoscience Profiles. American Geosciences Institute. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  21. Morris, Jack H. (2010). Going for Gold: The History of Newmont Mining Corporation. University of Alabama Press. pp. 243–244. ISBN 978-0817316778. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  22. Morris, Jack H. (2010). Going for Gold: The History of Newmont Mining Corporation. University of Alabama Press. p. 305. ISBN 978-0817316778. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
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