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Sorena Sorensen (1956-2025)

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Cottrell, Elizabeth
Wed, Jan 29, 2025 4:37 PM

Dear Colleagues,

With great sorrow, I must share with you that Sorena Sorensen passed away earlier this month. It is my honor to share this remembrance.

In Memory of Sorena Svea Sorensen (1956-2025)

Sorena Sorensen began her geological training as an undergraduate at Pomona College where she graduated in 1978 as the last student of the legendary California geologist Alfred O. Woodford. She joined the Department of Mineral Sciences, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, in 1984 just months after completing her Ph.D., advised by Gary Ernst, at the University of California at Los Angeles. Sorena was a researcher of exceptional insight, advocate for collections, valued mentor, and tireless servant. She was a Fellow of both the Geological Society of America and Mineralogical Society of America.

Sorena was an enormously talented field geologist, petrologist, and geochemist, whose research focused on fluid-assisted metamorphism in convergent margin subduction zone complexes. Building on her Ph.D. research to understand regional metamorphism in Southern California, with a focus on the Catalina Schist, she expanded her geographic scope to include Central and South America, Southeast Asia, and the Sierra Nevada. Later in her career, she studied the origin of nephrites and jadeitites, both principal components of jade. Over her career, Sorena published more than 40 peer-reviewed papers, with seminal contributions on the role that fluid-mediated element redistribution plays in subduction zone metamorphism and the formation of jade varieties. Her pioneering application of cathodoluminescent imaging and geochemical data to elucidate the petrologic, mineralogic, and tectonic histories of metamorphic rocks were her intellectual hallmarks.

Sorena served as Curator-in-Charge of the National Rock & Ore Collection from 1987 to 2016.  She was a vocal advocate for the Rock & Ore collection, speaking at professional meetings to promote use of the collections for research. She was widely recognized as a collections policy expert and was frequently invited to provide formal recommendations to other collecting institutions, notably the Field Museum and the USGS. During her tenure, the storage and security of Smithsonian’s Rock & Ore Collections improved dramatically, and she oversaw Smithsonian’s acquisition of several prominent research collections. Her own collecting added samples from seven foreign countries and four US states.

Sorena loved to share her enthusiasm for rocks – with everyone, especially kids, and it was her “rocks tell stories” approach to her research and public engagement that inspired the guiding theme for the creation of the “Rocks Gallery” that opened in 1998 and continues to delight and educate thousands of daily visitors to the Natural History Museum’s Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals. And as big rocks tell even better tales, Sorena coordinated a major campaign to acquire many of the iconic specimens in the gallery. She curated the exhibit, “Against All Odds: The Chilean Mine Rescue,” which opened in 2011 on the one-year anniversary of the Mina San Jose collapse and the rescue of 33 miners; this was the first bilingual (English and Spanish) exhibit at NMNH.

Sorena gave her time and energy to service. Sorena loved to edit, even if those that received those edits might have been surprised by their thoroughness. She served as Editor for Journal of Petrology from 1994-2000 and on its Advisory Board until her retirement. She also spent two decades on the Editorial Review Board for Journal of Metamorphic Geology. She was exceptionally active in the Geological Society of Washington, beginning as a Councilor in 1986 and culminating as President in 1998. She served as Chair of the Department of Mineral Sciences from 2007-2010 and as a Councilor of the Mineralogical Society of America from 1999-2001.

Sorena was highly-collaborative, with numerous long-term colleagues that became dear friends. She mentored extensively and fostered the careers of many female geoscientists. She is fondly remembered by colleagues and friends across the country. Her infectious enthusiasm for all she did and all she touched will not be soon forgotten. Sorena is survived by her husband of 41 years, Jeff Grossman, and their son Joel.

With fond memories,

Your colleagues in the Department of Mineral Sciences, NMNH, Smithsonian

Elizabeth Cottrell
Chair, Department of Mineral Sciences
Curator of the National Rock Collection
National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
cottrelle@si.edumailto:cottrelle@si.edu

Dear Colleagues, With great sorrow, I must share with you that Sorena Sorensen passed away earlier this month. It is my honor to share this remembrance. In Memory of Sorena Svea Sorensen (1956-2025) Sorena Sorensen began her geological training as an undergraduate at Pomona College where she graduated in 1978 as the last student of the legendary California geologist Alfred O. Woodford. She joined the Department of Mineral Sciences, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, in 1984 just months after completing her Ph.D., advised by Gary Ernst, at the University of California at Los Angeles. Sorena was a researcher of exceptional insight, advocate for collections, valued mentor, and tireless servant. She was a Fellow of both the Geological Society of America and Mineralogical Society of America. Sorena was an enormously talented field geologist, petrologist, and geochemist, whose research focused on fluid-assisted metamorphism in convergent margin subduction zone complexes. Building on her Ph.D. research to understand regional metamorphism in Southern California, with a focus on the Catalina Schist, she expanded her geographic scope to include Central and South America, Southeast Asia, and the Sierra Nevada. Later in her career, she studied the origin of nephrites and jadeitites, both principal components of jade. Over her career, Sorena published more than 40 peer-reviewed papers, with seminal contributions on the role that fluid-mediated element redistribution plays in subduction zone metamorphism and the formation of jade varieties. Her pioneering application of cathodoluminescent imaging and geochemical data to elucidate the petrologic, mineralogic, and tectonic histories of metamorphic rocks were her intellectual hallmarks. Sorena served as Curator-in-Charge of the National Rock & Ore Collection from 1987 to 2016. She was a vocal advocate for the Rock & Ore collection, speaking at professional meetings to promote use of the collections for research. She was widely recognized as a collections policy expert and was frequently invited to provide formal recommendations to other collecting institutions, notably the Field Museum and the USGS. During her tenure, the storage and security of Smithsonian’s Rock & Ore Collections improved dramatically, and she oversaw Smithsonian’s acquisition of several prominent research collections. Her own collecting added samples from seven foreign countries and four US states. Sorena loved to share her enthusiasm for rocks – with everyone, especially kids, and it was her “rocks tell stories” approach to her research and public engagement that inspired the guiding theme for the creation of the “Rocks Gallery” that opened in 1998 and continues to delight and educate thousands of daily visitors to the Natural History Museum’s Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals. And as big rocks tell even better tales, Sorena coordinated a major campaign to acquire many of the iconic specimens in the gallery. She curated the exhibit, “Against All Odds: The Chilean Mine Rescue,” which opened in 2011 on the one-year anniversary of the Mina San Jose collapse and the rescue of 33 miners; this was the first bilingual (English and Spanish) exhibit at NMNH. Sorena gave her time and energy to service. Sorena loved to edit, even if those that received those edits might have been surprised by their thoroughness. She served as Editor for Journal of Petrology from 1994-2000 and on its Advisory Board until her retirement. She also spent two decades on the Editorial Review Board for Journal of Metamorphic Geology. She was exceptionally active in the Geological Society of Washington, beginning as a Councilor in 1986 and culminating as President in 1998. She served as Chair of the Department of Mineral Sciences from 2007-2010 and as a Councilor of the Mineralogical Society of America from 1999-2001. Sorena was highly-collaborative, with numerous long-term colleagues that became dear friends. She mentored extensively and fostered the careers of many female geoscientists. She is fondly remembered by colleagues and friends across the country. Her infectious enthusiasm for all she did and all she touched will not be soon forgotten. Sorena is survived by her husband of 41 years, Jeff Grossman, and their son Joel. With fond memories, Your colleagues in the Department of Mineral Sciences, NMNH, Smithsonian Elizabeth Cottrell Chair, Department of Mineral Sciences Curator of the National Rock Collection National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution cottrelle@si.edu<mailto:cottrelle@si.edu>