Chris Condit is a professor of geosciences at the University of Massachusetts, but he is active in Arizona geology in a number of ways. The Amherst Bulletin published a profile of him yesterday that talks about his work on the NASA Mars exploration simulations that use Flagstaff area volcanoes as test beds. Chris also continues to bring students to Arizona each summer for detailed geologic mapping of the Springerville volcanic field, where he did his PhD. [right, Chris with NASA's Surface Exploration Vehicle, a prototype Mars rover. Credit, UMass/AP]
Chris got his master's degree at NAU and often piloted small planes with prominent Flagstaff photographer/author Michael Collier, whose aerial photos of the state are renown.
I met Chris through his now-wife Laurie Brown, when I was a grad student at UMass, and attended their wedding. They hosted me last fall in Amherst when I received the departments Distinguished Alumnus award.
Chris's work creating the Dynamic Digital Map was groundbreaking and one of the primary inspirations for the digital data networks we are building at AZGS.