CroninProjects.org/ AIPG/

APG logo and portrait of Ben Parker

General information about Ben H. Parker and the Parker Medal

About the Parker Medal awardee for 2023


Vince Cronin earned a BS degree in Geology from Pomona College, a Masters degree in Earth Sciences from Dartmouth College, and a doctorate in Geology/Tectonophysics from Texas A&M University. He was a tenured faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Baylor University, retiring in 2022 as an Emeritus Professor. He taught graduate and undergraduate courses in structural geology, tectonics, engineering geology, and physical geology. Vince supervised at least 18 MS theses, 7 BS theses, and 49 published abstracts with student authors. Nominated by UWM students, he was the first recipient of the Martine D. Meyer Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award .


Vince has been a licensed Professional Geologist in Texas and Wisconsin. He is a Certified Professional Geologist through the American Institute of Professional Geologists. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America and served in various leadership positions in GSA’s Environmental and Engineering Geology Division, earning their Meritorious Service Award . He is a member of the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists (AEG) and was selected by AEG and GSA-EEGD as the Richard H. Jahns Distinguished Lecturer for 2022-23. He worked for the first Jahns Lecturer, Dr. Jim Slosson, on projects involving landslides, active faulting, flooding, coastal/stream erosion, and resource evaluation in the western US. Vince wrote an early paper about compound landslides.


Vince has taught or co-taught many workshops, short courses, and webinars for UNAVCO and IRIS ( EarthScope Consortium ) and the Science Education Resource Center ( SERC ) to benefit students, teachers, and professionals. He is designated a Top Community Contributor by SERC. With UNAVCO, he led development of a curricular module demonstrating use of GPS velocity data to measure crustal strain that became a model for subsequent GETSI modules available from SERC.


Vince is the editor and primary revision author for the 11th through 13th editions of the AGI/NAGT Laboratory Manual in Physical Geology , published by Pearson, which is the most widely used laboratory textbook of its kind. He is the co-author with Mark Carpenter of the climate change lab — new in the 12th edition. In addition to teaching his own undergraduate and graduate courses remotely during the covid-19 crisis, Vince created more than one hundred educational videos related to structural geology and the AGI lab manual and posted them on the Cronin-Geoscience-Ed and Cronin-Structure-Ed YouTube channels online to support geoscience teachers and students across the country.


Vince engages in a broad range of geoscience research, and has authored more than 30 published papers. His field work in the Karakoram-Himalaya resulted in an improved understanding of the physical and magnetic-polarity stratigraphy of Skardu Basin and its structural context. Vince's doctoral research involved development of a viable solution for the "three-plate problem" of plate kinematics. The result of that solution was the re-evaluation of the finite kinematics of transform faults, plate triple junctions, mid-ocean ridges, and an explanation for the sigmoid long-wavelength shape of oceanic fracture zones. He is now writing a quantitative primer on plate kinematics. Collaborating with his students, Vince developed the Seismo-Lineament Analysis Method (SLAM), which incorporates earthquake data, lidar-based geomorphic analysis, GPS geodesy, and field work to locate the ground-surface trace of seismogenic faults.


Vince has contributed to the development of geoethics during the past 3 decades. He serves on the executive board of the International Association for Promoting Geoethics ( IAPG ) as its North American coordinator and is on the editorial board of the Journal of Geoethics and Social Geosciences .


Portrait of Vince Cronin
  1. Contact information
  2. Credentials
  3. Publications
  4. Some past student research associates
  5. Brief autobiography
  6. A current Curriculum Vitae is available upon request.

Remarks by Vince Cronin, , CPG-11830, concerning the Parker Medal


It is a sign of a gracious community that it occasionally pauses to thank its members for their work. I am profoundly grateful and humbled to have been chosen by AIPG to receive its Ben H. Parker Memorial Distinguished Service Medal this year. I thank everyone involved in the nomination and selection process.


Credit for whatever good work I have accomplished as a geologist is also due to my family, my students, and a supportive geoscience community. My life has been wonderfully stabilized during the past 38 years by Cindy Cronin: my life partner, wife, best friend, and holder of BS and MS degrees in Geology. We have two fine descendants — Kelly and Connor. Their patience, understanding, support, and loving criticisms have made my geological career possible.


If my parents were here, they would take me aside and quietly say something like this: "We're very proud of you, but don't let this go to your head. Take a few minutes to enjoy it, but then move on. You have a lot more work to do. You can still do better."


I have taken advantage of opportunities to teach geoscience to undergraduate and graduate students, emphasizing knowledge and skills that are useful in applied geology. I trained and encouraged geoscience educators to include complex topics like active tectonics, earthquake seismology, and geodesy in their courses. As Editor and principal revision author of the AGI/NAGT Laboratory Manual in Physical Geology , I have helped countless students learn about Earth through data-driven activities and hands-on experiences.


My curiosity has led me in many directions. In recent years, my students and I have used new technologies and datasets to identify the ground-surface trace of active faults. We have used GPS velocity data to measure how the crust has been changing shape during the past decade or two. And I still work on quantitative plate kinematics.


I have been fortunate to have enjoyed a varied career in geoscience, including the chance to contribute to the field of geoethics during a time of significant international growth. I am mindful of the emphasis that the founders of AIPG placed on professional ethics. Ethics is still a fundamental concern within our profession.


If you are interested in any of this educational or research work, I created a web page that contains related information. Visit https://CroninProjects.org/AIPG/


My life is happier to the extent that I spend more time concerned with the needs of others than with my own issues. The more professional geologists can get out of their own stew pots and help others, the happier they will be and the stronger the geoscience community will become.


I understand that time is not elastic, and our energy is limited. We are all busy people. Still, I have a suggestion for you. In your capacity as a professional geologist, see if you can find one volunteer activity that you can do well in service to society or your profession. Then commit to making that voluntary contribution persistently.


Society's need for reliable geoscience information supplied by well-informed professional geoscientists is profound, especially in a warming world. Society wants our best scientific understanding, described clearly, so we can confront environmental issues honestly and effectively together. No malarkey. Richard Feynman reminds us, "...reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled." The web page I created to accompany these remarks includes suggestions for enhancing your knowledge of the causes and effects of climate change.


Being chosen to receive the Ben Parker Medal is an unexpected gift. I sincerely appreciate this recognition. It energizes me as I look forward to the tasks I plan to accomplish in service to geoscience and society in the coming years. Thank you.


Additional Information About Selected Research Topics

Student Thesis Projects Supervised by Vince Cronin


Bachelor of Science Theses

Master of Science Theses

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