Thomas R. McGetchin

1936-1979

Tom McGetchin was born in La Jolla, California, in 1936 and received his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in 1968. His research activities focused on field, experimental and theoretical investigations of volcanic and igneous processes, especially volcanic eruption phenomenology. He taught and conducted research for the U.S. Air Force at Wright Patterson Air Force Base as well as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also served at the Smithsonian Institution of Washington and the Los Alamos National Laboratory before being named Director of the LPI in June 1977, bringing to the position tremendous enthusiasm as well as his varied experience.

Dr. McGetchin left the LPI due to illness in June of 1979; he died in October of that year.

Dr. McGetchin was one America's most active champions of planetary science. His infectious quest to understand how volcanoes work included extensive field studies on Earth and innovative analyses of volcanic processes on the Moon and Mars. Dr. Thomas McCord, Professor Emeritus at the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, knew McGetchin well. Of his late friend, McCord said, "The most remarkable thing is that, at such an early age, he had already done so much that [his] impact was so great."

Read the full obituary written by Tom McCord »

Applying for a Scholarship

To be considered for a USRA Scholarship, applicants must complete an application and return it to USRA by May 1. The application must include:

1. A completed application form. Only completed application forms will be considered. The application packet can be downloaded here.
2. Two completed recommendation forms (included in the application packet) with at least one from a teacher or school official at the college level.
3. An official college transcript for the last two years with GPA.
4. A one-page (<500 words) typed statement stating the applicant's qualifications and educational and career goals.

All of the above items must be submitted before the application will be considered.

To complete your application, download and print the Scholarship Application Package consisting of:

• Program Overview Page
• Scholarship Application Form
• Recommendation Forms
• Help Page

To print your forms, click on the above link to view the forms and use your browser's print option to print your own copy. The forms can be filled online and printed or printed first and completed by hand. In either case, mail your completed forms back to the address given in the instructions. The same procedure should be followed for the two recommendations forms. DO NOT email us your completed application; emailed submissions will not be considered.

Donations

The Thomas R. McGetchin Memorial Scholarship Fund has been established in honor of Dr. McGetchin and his contributions to planetary science. All donations will be matched by USRA.

If you wish to contribute to the Fund, please make your donation payable to:
USRA c/o The Thomas R. McGetchin Memorial Scholarship Fund
10211 Wincopin Circle, Suite 500
Columbia, MD 21044-3432

The McGetchin family will be notified of your donation. The Fund will be used for educational purposes and is administered by the USRA Board of Trustees.