Dr. Roger Mitchell, Professor Emeritus at Lakehead University, has been awarded with a truly organic honour—he has a newly-discovered mineral named after him.

Structural view of mineral "rogermitchellite." (Credit: Lakehead University)

“Rogermitchellite” is a transparent mineral species discovered at Mont Saint-Hilaire, Québec by Laurentian University Professor of Mineralogy Dr. Andrew McDonald. Dr. McDonald proposed Dr. Mitchell’s name for the mineral to the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) to honour Mitchell’s work in the field.

“There are only about 5,000 named minerals in existence,” says Mitchell. “The naming of new minerals is quite a complex process that involves several stages of approval by international committees. While there are several other Canadian mineralogists who have minerals named after them, names are not given on an ad hoc basis. They have to be approved and there are a lot of rules. I am honoured that my work in mineralogy and petrology has . . . → Read More: Recognizing Research: New Mineral Named After Lakehead Professor