James Lawrence Powell | |
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| Born | July 17, 1936 Berea, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Berea College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Geology |
| Institutions | Oberlin College, Reed College |
| Thesis | The strontium isotopic composition and origin of carbonatites (1962) |
| Website | www |
James Lawrence Powell (born July 17, 1936) is an American geologist, writer, former college president and museum director. He chaired the geology department at Oberlin College later serving as its provost and president. Powell also served as president of Franklin & Marshall College as well as Reed College. Following his positions in higher education, Powell presided over the Franklin Institute and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.
Powell served 12 years on the National Science Board and recently retired as executive director of Graduate Fellowships for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Diversity.[1]
His book, Night Comes to the Cretaceous, explores the scientific debate regarding dinosaur extinction. In Four Revolutions in the Earth Sciences, Powell addresses dinosaur extinction in addition to three other scientific debates: deep time, continental drift and global warming.
Powell has posited that the scientific consensus on global warming nears universality and he actively counters climate change denialism in his research and other publications.