In this episode of Sagebrushers, University of Nevada, Reno President Brian Sandoval speaks with Dr. Geoffrey Blewitt. Blewitt is one of the lead scientists credited with making GPS accurate within a millimeter, resulting in discoveries related to the earth’s shape, dark matter tsunamis, mega earthquakes and more.
Blewitt earned his Ph.D. in physics from Caltech (California Institute of Technology) then joined the faculty of the University of Newcastle in the U.K., becoming a professor of space geodesy in 1994. He joined the University of Nevada, Reno in the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology in 1999, becoming a professor of geosciences.
During the episode, Sandoval and Blewitt discuss the science of geodesy as well as the many ways in which GPS benefits humans’ daily lives. They also chat about Blewitt’s research with atomic clocks and dark matter and explore what Blewitt’s recent election to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors a scientist can receive, means to him.
