Huang Named Fellow of Mineralogical Society
A Vol researcher who studies the geochemistry of rocks and meteorites to understand the deep interior of Earth and the early history of our solar system has been named a Fellow of the Mineralogical Society of America (MSA).
Shichun Huang, the Gerald D. Sisk Associate Professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, is among a select group of MSA members recognized for significant contributions to the advancement of mineralogy, geochemistry, petrology, crystallography, or allied sciences.
Huang joined the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2022, and is setting up an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) research facility, which is supported by the College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development.
With a metal-free clean lab, two mass spectrometers, and one laser ablation system when fully operational, the facility will allow cutting-edge research projects to be conducted on campus, Huang said.
His work focuses on metal stable isotope geochemistry of major rock-forming elements and their applications in high-temperature geochemistry, igneous and metamorphic petrology, and cosmochemistry.
“I explore the geochemical and isotopic variability of ocean island basalts to better understand mantle dynamics,” Huang explained. “In addition, I study the chemistry and mineralogy of high-pressure inclusions trapped in deep-sourced diamonds, which provide a rare, direct window into the Earth’s deep interior.”
He remembers as a child seeing images of the 1984 eruption of Mauna Loa, the largest Hawaiian volcano. “I happened to watch the news on a 13-inch black-and-white TV, was shocked by the natural wonder and wondered whether I could have a chance to look at the volcano,” Huang recalled. When he applied for graduate school and a professor was looking for students to work on drilling core rocks from Hawaiian volcanoes, he said, “my dream came true.”
The MSA recognizes less than 0.5% of its membership each year as a Fellow. The 2025 honorees will be featured in the April issue of the international Elements magazine.
By Amy Beth Miller