Bootstrap Geologist, Shinn

Known worldwide among geologists, marine scientists, and petroleum engineers, Gene Shinn sometimes seems a product of another century.

Born in the Florida Keys, he attended the University of Miami on a music scholarship, where he earned a bachelors degree in biology. A U.S. national champion spearfisher, he worked as a salvage diver, becoming an expert in the use of dynamite underwater. A self-tutored field geologist for nearly 50 years, he made major geological findings that have significantly changed professional and academic knowledge of undersea oil reserves. Shinn helped invent technology for underwater core drilling, and more recently, he has studied the effects of transoceanic African dust on coral reefs, agriculture, and human health. Hes even the basis for a character in a mystery novel.

In Bootstrap Geologist Shinn enthusiastically shares the highs and lows of his remarkable life. Taking readers around the globe as well as below the ocean, he recounts the painstaking process of data gathering that can lead to paradigm-breaking discoveries. He emphasizes the importance of field science and pointedly addresses the use and abuse of scientific research and the emergence of market-funded research.