International Organization Honors Richard Kyle as a Distinguished Educator

September 30, 2022

The Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration recently recognized J. Richard Kyle, professor emeritus in the Jackson School of Geoscience’s Department of Geological Sciences (DGS), with its Mineral Industry Education Award for four decades as a distinguished educator. Kyle’s impact encompasses students who were taught in the classroom and related field activities and industry colleagues who were supported through his applied research publications, short courses, and field trips.

“I am honored to have been selected for this distinguished award after my career in earth resources education and research,” says Kyle. “I tried to provide students a real world context with a focus on diverse field opportunities and on technical writing and presentation.”

Kyle joined the faculty at The University of Texas at Austin in 1978. His research program culminated in over 120 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and includes the supervision of 3 undergraduate, 42 masters, and 5 doctoral theses. Until 2021—when he officially retired from teaching—Kyle regularly taught core undergraduate and graduate courses related to economic geology and mineral resources and also served an informal advisor for dozens of students about the mineral resource industries. He served as both DGS undergraduate advisor and graduate advisor and for the past seven years as the Graduate Advisor for the JSG Energy and Earth Resources multidisciplinary Master’s program.

“Mineral resources are important to society, especially in the transition to a low-carbon energy future that will require major supplies of critical mineral resources,” concludes Kyle. He will officially receive the award at an annual conference—the SME 2023 MINEXCHANGE Annual Conference & Expo—in Denver, Colorado.