Kenneth S. Edgett

2026 G. K. Gilbert Award

Dr. Ken Edgett is a recognized leader in planetary science whose research transformed our understanding of the sedimentary history of Mars. Ken’s publications demonstrated the presence of a sedimentary rock cycle and include detailed stratigraphic studies of Aeolis Mons in Gale crater, Sinus Meridiani and Arabia Terra documenting temporal unconformities. Through a series of pivotal papers with co-author Michael Malin, he identified widespread sedimentary rocks, discovered unambiguous deltaic deposits, and revealed a complex history of burial and exhumation. The influential work on young Martian gullies earned the Association of American Geographers' Gilbert Award. Furthermore, a comprehensive treatise based on meter-scale imaging from the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) is a foundational reference spanning nearly every subject of Martian geomorphology. His early studies of aeolian processes, including volcaniclastic sand deposits and Viking-era analyses of Martian dunes, remain widely cited. Also, Ken's publication on the identification of sedimentary rocks in orbital images serves as a valuable resource for planetary geologists.

Beyond research, Ken played a central role in Mars exploration. He curated thousands of science targets for orbiting cameras on Mars Global Surveyor and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. He was also a leading advocate for in situ, micro-scale imaging, serving as Principal Investigator of the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) aboard the Curiosity rover and as payload element lead for the WATSON camera on the Perseverance rover. These instruments enabled grain-scale characterization of rocks and regolith on Mars, opening new avenues for source-to-sink sedimentary investigations.

Ken has demonstrated an enduring commitment to education, outreach, and mentorship. He founded the Mars K–12 Education Program at Arizona State University, contributed to science television programming, and co-authored the children's book Touchdown Mars!. Although working outside academia at Malin Space Science Systems, he actively engaged with early-career researchers, strengthening the rigor of their work and supporting their professional development. His enthusiasm and passion for scientific inquiry have inspired colleagues and students alike. Ken's groundbreaking scholarship, instrument leadership, and mentorship of young researchers have profoundly shaped the scientific scope, professional development, and public engagement of NASA's Mars exploration program.

Thank you, Rebecca (Becky) Williams. I so much appreciate you and all of our colleagues and the variety of challenges each faces in pursuit of their multifaceted work.

And I am astonished and humbled to receive this high honor.

Like G. K. Gilbert, I grew up in Rochester, New York. My great grandfather (whom I never met) and his daughter, my great aunt, were science educators; my uncle was also an educator. My grandfather and my father were engineers with Eastman Kodak—a company in the cameras-and-picture-taking business. And, thus, it was to my own surprise that I ended up working with a company in the cameras-and-picture-taking business, too. And you can guess where my passion for mentoring, education, and public outreach came from. I felt a strong need to give something back to honor those who pay for what we do.

Growing up in Rochester more than a century after Gilbert, I had some experiences that I am confident he did not. One was being just the right age when U.S. public television brought forth the educational marvel of its time, “Sesame Street,” in 1969. Another was watching—on live television—as astronauts talked about geology while they worked on the Moon. These events were formative.

As for Mars, I’ll point to two additional things. One was an episode of The Flintstones in which the four main characters went to Mars (“The Long, Long, Long Weekend,” season 6, episode 17, 1966). The other was Robert Silverberg’s book, “The Lost Race of Mars,” (1966) sold to school children in the late 1960s and early 1970s by Scholastic Books. These helped inspire me to write about the adventures of “Joe the Martian” when I was nine and ten.

Writing about Joe the Martian made me want to know more about the real Mars.

And then—while I was still ten—the Vikings landed.

Their images of desert landscapes, rocks, sand, and (at the Viking 2 site) winter frost… well, that was it! My imagination was captured.

Let me tell you something I’ve learned, something that especially crystallized for me through the Mars Science Laboratory—Curiosity rover—experience.

We are all one big team.

A big, international, intergenerational team.

We do the very best science we can. We look at lots of data, and—taking a cue from Robert P. Sharp’s Mariner 9-era Mars papers—we clearly distinguish observation from interpretation from speculation.

We inspire each other, and we help each other to shine.

It may feel easier to go off on your own and do your research. And, sometimes, it is. However, whether you feel it or not, you are part of a team; a collective effort to understand our little slice of the Universe, the worlds of our Solar System (and beyond). Please work with each other. Even when we are competing for the same resources, we are still a team.

With teamwork in mind, I have a long list of people who helped me learn and navigate my life and career. Written down, the list would stretch from here to Mars and back. I can’t possibly name a few and worry that I’ve left out the many. The list includes family, friends, educators, mentors, mentees, engineers, support staff, colleagues, collaborators, classmates, teammates, housemates, and roommates. It also includes the taxpayers and government officials who ensured the funding for the world’s planetary exploration programs.

When I think of all of these people, I am filled with joy and gratitude. None of us gets where we are by ourselves; we all part of this international, intergenerational team.

I am especially appreciative of each of you whose ear I bent, to whom I vented my frustrations (I’m sorry!), and to those whose advice was heard, deeply appreciated, and sometimes even acted upon.

I am so thankful to have been able to contribute to our collective understanding of Mars, and to share the excitement and joy with others. Many thanks for this incredible honor, the GSA Planetary Geology Division’s 2026 G. K. Gilbert Award.

Colleagues and friends, I remain astonished, humbled, joyful, and thrilled to have known you.