RON CLOWES is an emeritus professor in the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of British Columbia. He was director of Lithoprobe, Canada’s national geoscience research project that ran from 1984 to 2005. Dr. Clowes has won many awards including the Logan Medal from the Geological Association of Canada and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, and he is a Member of the Order of Canada. He and his wife travel widely and live in New Westminster, British Columbia.