Stuart Monro
Encyclopedia
Stuart Kinnaird Monro OBE
, BSc
, PhD
, DUniv, CGeol, FGS, FHEA
, FRSSA
, FRSE (born March 3, 1947) is a prominent Scottish
geologist
and science communicator.
Monro graduated in Geology
from Aberdeen University in 1970 and then received his PhD
from the University of Edinburgh
while embarking upon a lengthy career with the British Geological Survey
, making a number of distinguished contributions to the understanding of the geology of central Scotland
and the application of geology to environmental
issues.
He was instrumental in establishing Our Dynamic Earth
in Edinburgh
, the science centre and visitor attraction which opened in 1999 as a major Millennium Project
that serves to facilitate a better public understanding of the processes that have shaped the earth. He took up the post of Scientific Director at Our Dynamic Earth on a permanent, part-time, basis on retiring from the British Geological Survey in 2004.
Monro has been a part-time tutor in Earth Science
s at the Open University
from 1982 till 2009 and, since 1990, has served on the Open University’s Senate
, and Council
from 1994 to 2002. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Open University in 2011 for "Services to the University" and "Academic and scholarly distinction".
He was made a Fellow of the Royal Scottish Society of Arts
in 1998, and served as President
of that Society from 2002 until 2005. He also served as President of the Westmorland Geological Society
(1994–2005) and of the Edinburgh Geological Society
(2005–2007). He has been co-Convenor of the Scottish Earth Science Education Forum since 2003, a voluntary group he helped establish to support a greater understanding of earth science
s in Scottish schools and colleges and chairs the Earth Science Trust. Also in 2003 he was appointed by Scottish Ministers to serve on the Scottish Science Advisory Council, a national forum which provides strategic advice to the Scottish Government on scientific issues. He was the Council's first Independent Co-chair till he stood down as both Co-Chair and a member of the Council in 2009. He has also served as a Non-Executive Director
of the Edinburgh International Science Festival
, and on the Royal Society of Edinburgh
’s Young People’s Committee and is honorary geological adviser to the John Muir Trust
and in 2005 he was appointed by Scottish Ministers to act as a Trustee
of the National Museums of Scotland
. In 2009 he also took on the part-time position as Scientific Director of the Edinburgh Consortium for Rural Research
He was made an Honorary Fellow of the University of Edinburgh
(School of Geosciences) in 2005 and from September 2007, he has also served as a member of the University Court
of the University of Edinburgh
. From September 2011 he will take up the position of Vice-Convenor of Court. He was appointed a Visiting Professor in the School of Geosciences at the University of Edinburgh
in February 2008.
Monro is a Chartered Geologist and Fellow of the Geological Society and was awarded the Society's Distinguished Service Award in 2009. In 2010 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
. He was awarded the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire
(OBE) for services to science in HM Queen Elizabeth II's
New Year Honours list, announced on 30 December 2006.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, BSc
BSC
BSC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:Science and technology* Bachelor of Science , an undergraduate degree* Base Station Controller, part of a mobile phone network; see: Base Station subsystem...
, PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
, DUniv, CGeol, FGS, FHEA
Higher Education Academy
The Higher Education Academy is an independent organisation in the United Kingdom that supports higher education institutions with strategies for the development of research and evaluation to improve the learning experience for students.-History:...
, FRSSA
Royal Scottish Society of Arts
The Royal Scottish Society of Arts is a learned society in Scotland, dedicated to the study of science and technology. It was founded as The Society for the Encouragement of the Useful Arts in Scotland by Sir David Brewster in 1821 and dedicated to "the promotion of invention and enterprise"...
, FRSE (born March 3, 1947) is a prominent Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
and science communicator.
Monro graduated in Geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
from Aberdeen University in 1970 and then received his PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
while embarking upon a lengthy career with the British Geological Survey
British Geological Survey
The British Geological Survey is a partly publicly funded body which aims to advance geoscientific knowledge of the United Kingdom landmass and its continental shelf by means of systematic surveying, monitoring and research. The BGS headquarters are in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire, but other centres...
, making a number of distinguished contributions to the understanding of the geology of central Scotland
Geology of Scotland
The geology of Scotland is unusually varied for a country of its size, with a large number of differing geological features. There are three main geographical sub-divisions: the Highlands and Islands is a diverse area which lies to the north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault; the Central...
and the application of geology to environmental
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
issues.
He was instrumental in establishing Our Dynamic Earth
Our Dynamic Earth
Our Dynamic Earth is a science centre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is a prominent visitors attraction in the city, and also functions as a conference venue. It sits in the Holyrood area, beside the Scottish Parliament building and at the foot of Arthur's Seat....
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, the science centre and visitor attraction which opened in 1999 as a major Millennium Project
Millennium Commission
The Millennium Commission in the United Kingdom was set up to aid communities at the end of the 2nd millennium and the start of the 3rd millennium. It used funding raised through the UK National Lottery....
that serves to facilitate a better public understanding of the processes that have shaped the earth. He took up the post of Scientific Director at Our Dynamic Earth on a permanent, part-time, basis on retiring from the British Geological Survey in 2004.
Monro has been a part-time tutor in Earth Science
Earth science
Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...
s at the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
from 1982 till 2009 and, since 1990, has served on the Open University’s Senate
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature or parliament. There have been many such bodies in history, since senate means the assembly of the eldest and wiser members of the society and ruling class...
, and Council
University Council
A University Council may be the executive body of a university's governance system, an advisory body to the University President, or something in between in authority....
from 1994 to 2002. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Open University in 2011 for "Services to the University" and "Academic and scholarly distinction".
He was made a Fellow of the Royal Scottish Society of Arts
Royal Scottish Society of Arts
The Royal Scottish Society of Arts is a learned society in Scotland, dedicated to the study of science and technology. It was founded as The Society for the Encouragement of the Useful Arts in Scotland by Sir David Brewster in 1821 and dedicated to "the promotion of invention and enterprise"...
in 1998, and served as President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of that Society from 2002 until 2005. He also served as President of the Westmorland Geological Society
Westmorland Geological Society
The Westmorland Geological Society is a body based in the Lake District region of the UK that aims to engage all those interested in geology, particularly in the southern Lakes....
(1994–2005) and of the Edinburgh Geological Society
Edinburgh Geological Society
The Edinburgh Geological Society was founded in 1834 in Edinburgh, Scotland, with the aim of stimulating public interest in geology and the advancement of geological knowledge...
(2005–2007). He has been co-Convenor of the Scottish Earth Science Education Forum since 2003, a voluntary group he helped establish to support a greater understanding of earth science
Earth science
Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...
s in Scottish schools and colleges and chairs the Earth Science Trust. Also in 2003 he was appointed by Scottish Ministers to serve on the Scottish Science Advisory Council, a national forum which provides strategic advice to the Scottish Government on scientific issues. He was the Council's first Independent Co-chair till he stood down as both Co-Chair and a member of the Council in 2009. He has also served as a Non-Executive Director
Non-executive director
A non-executive director or outside director is a member of the board of directors of a company who does not form part of the executive management team. He or she is not an employee of the company or affiliated with it in any other way...
of the Edinburgh International Science Festival
Edinburgh International Science Festival
The Edinburgh International Science Festival is a science festival which takes place each April in Edinburgh, Scotland. The festival features hundreds of talks, tours and exhibitions for children, families and adults in locations around the city...
, and on the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
’s Young People’s Committee and is honorary geological adviser to the John Muir Trust
John Muir Trust
The John Muir Trust is a Scottish charity established as a membership organisation in 1983 to conserve wild land and wild places for the benefit of all...
and in 2005 he was appointed by Scottish Ministers to act as a Trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
of the National Museums of Scotland
National Museums of Scotland
National Museums Scotland is the organization that runs several national museums of Scotland. It is one of the country's National Collections, and holds internationally important collections of natural sciences, decorative arts, world cultures, science and technology, and Scottish history and...
. In 2009 he also took on the part-time position as Scientific Director of the Edinburgh Consortium for Rural Research
He was made an Honorary Fellow of the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
(School of Geosciences) in 2005 and from September 2007, he has also served as a member of the University Court
University Court
A University Court is an administrative body of a university in the United Kingdom. In England's Oxbridge such a Court carries out limited judicial functions; whereas in Scotland it is a University's supreme governing body, analogous to a Board of Directors or a Board of Trustees.-England:In the...
of the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. From September 2011 he will take up the position of Vice-Convenor of Court. He was appointed a Visiting Professor in the School of Geosciences at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
in February 2008.
Monro is a Chartered Geologist and Fellow of the Geological Society and was awarded the Society's Distinguished Service Award in 2009. In 2010 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
. He was awarded the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(OBE) for services to science in HM Queen Elizabeth II's
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
New Year Honours list, announced on 30 December 2006.