Richard Hurst, Ph.D.

Senior Adjunct Faculty Member

Book this person as a speaker:

Email: rhurst@callutheran.edu
Phone: (805) 630-0207

Speeches:

• The Legacy of Lead in the Global Enviornment
  The speech delves into the lingering threat posed by lead from automobile combustion on the urban environment. This issue is not unique to the United States, rather it has impacted virtually every nation and will continue to cause environmental health issues long into the future.

• Churches as Astronomical Observatories
  This lecture gives an overview of how churches were used by astronomers during the Middle Ages to observe and discern the motions of planets and the sun. It is based upon a book by J. Heilbron, "The Sun in the Church."

Originally from New York, Richard Hurst taught for 30 years at California State University, Los Angeles where he is now a Professor Emeritus. Prior to that, he was an Assistant Research Geologist/Lecturer at University of California, Santa Barbara. As an undergraduate at State University of New York, Stony Brook, Hurst performed research on age dating of corals and analyzed rare gases in lunar samples returned from the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. His current research focuses on forensic geochemistry, tracing and age dating contaminants in the environment.

For relaxation, I enjoy hiking, playing guitar, and throwing a few anything (fish, chicken, steak) on the barbecue. In order to attempt to stay fit, I participate in martial arts and currently the the rank of Nidan, second degree black belt, in ninjutsu.