Background
Ashley was born Gail Mowry in Leominster, Massachusetts, on January 29, 1941.
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Gail Ashley
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Education
She was awarded her Doctor of Philosophy in 1977 for work on sediment transport in tidal rivers. The year she earned her Doctor of Philosophy, Ashley was hired at Rutgers University, where she remains a full professor
Career
She is known for her detailed studies of the sediments laid down in the Olduvai Gorge, focused on the water supplies available to early humans. She has held many prominent positions in the fields of sedimentology and geology, including the presidency of the Geological Society of America, the second woman to be southern Her interest in geology grew from a young age, thanks to the tutelage of her neighbor, a professor of geology.
She earned her bachelor"s degree in geology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1963.
She earned her master"s degree from the same institution in 1972. Ashley then moved to the University of British Columbia for her doctoral studies.
Foreign most of her tenure, she was the only female professor in her department. She has published 91 scientific papers, presented 150 papers at meetings, and given 85 invited lectures over her 34-year career.
Ashley"s research career has focused on glaciation and paleoecology.
Her studies of sediment in Olduvai Gorge have included studies of the springs that existed there contemporaneously with early hominids and their potential as water sources for them. Her work on glaciation has included studies of glacial stability in Antarctica, the Brooks Range, Ireland, and the northeastern United States. In that area of the United States., she also examines the effects of prior glaciation on environmentally important marshes and wetlands.
Her research in Antarctica came after being denied a research opportunity there twenty years prior because of her sexual
Achievements
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Very active in professional societies, Ashley has presided over several scientific groups in her career. From 1991-1992, she was the president of the Society of Economic and Petroleum Mineralogists and chaired the Northeast Section of the Geological Society of America. She has also been involved in the Association of Women Geoscientists and is known for her efforts on both a personal and professional level to bring more women into scientific fields. From 1998-1999, she presided over the General Services Administration and was the second female president in its history. In 1998 she also began her tenure as vice president of the International Association of Sedimentologists, a position she held until 2002. In 2012, Ashley was the recipient of the Geological Society of America"s Laurence L. Sloss Award for her lifetime achievements.
