Harold ("Hal") Levin began his career as a petroleum geologist in 1956 after receiving bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Missouri and a doctorate from Washington University. His fondness for teaching brought him back to Washington University in 1962, where he is currently professor of geology and paleontology in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. His writing efforts include authorship of six editions of "The Earth Through Times"; four editions of "Contemporary Physical Geology; Essentials of Earth Science"; and co-authorship of "Earth: Past and Present," as well as six editions of "Laboratory Studies in Historical Geology; Life Through Times"; and most recently, "Ancient Invertebrates and Their Living Relatives."
For his course in physical geology, historical geology, paleontology, sedimentology, and stratigraphy, Hal has received several awards for excellence in teaching. The accompanying photograph was taken during a lecture on life of the Cenozoic Era. The horse skull serves to illustrate changes in the teeth and jaws of grazing animals in response to the spread of prairies and savannahs during the Miocene and subsequent epochs.
