Background
Morisawa was born on November 2, 1919 in Toledo, Ohio.
- Photos
- Works
- Photos
- Works
Marie Morisawa
Edit Profile
Education
She studied the geomorphology of rivers, active fault zones, plate tectonics, coastal geomorphology, geological hazards, and environmental geomorphology.
Career
Morisawa was an integral part of the revolution in the field that began in the 1950s. She earned a Bachelor of Surgery in mathematics from Hunter College in 1941. She then earned an Master of Arts in theology before turning to geology and obtaining an Master of Surgery from University of Wyoming in 1952.
She taught at Bryn Mawr College from 1955 to 1959.
In 1960 she earned her Doctor of Philosophy from Columbia University. Arthur Newell Strahler was the advisor for her doctoral work on the quantitative geomorphology of Pennsylvania streams.
Morisawa wrote eight books, including Evaluating Riverscapes in 1971. She founded the journal Geomorphology in 1986 and was its editor in chief
She became "the first female chair" of the Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology Division of the Geological Society of America and helped found "the annual Binghamton Geomorphology Symposia."
Morisawa died in a car accident on June 10, 1994.
In 2009 the Geological Society of America established the Marie Morisawa Award in her honor. The award is presented annually to a woman Master of Surgery or Doctor of Philosophy graduate student pursuing a career in geomorphology.
-
Born
-
Died
June 10, 1994 (aged 74)