I can make the difference.

Dr. Cornet's resumé.

14 years experience in the oil industry as a senior geologist, prospect geologist, and palynologist.

4 years academic research in geology as a palynologist, paleobotanist, and wellsite geologist.

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

    B.A. in biology (1970) and M.S. in paleobotany (1973) at the University of Connecticut, and Ph.D. in geology and palynology (1977) at the Pennsylvania State University. Post-doctorate research in geology and paleobotany at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University (1989-1990). The author or coauthor of 21 refereed scientific papers and two books, all on paleontological and/or geological subjects. 14 years experience in the oil industry, and President of Geminoil, Inc., which successfully explored for and found oil on the East Coast in Triassic age rocks thought to be barren of hydrocarbons (just before the collapse of the oil industry in the early 1980's).

EDUCATION

    Brookdale Community Collete (NJ) computer programming (C and Java) Sept 1999-present

    Chubb Computer Institute (3 Units) Mainframe Programming (JCL and Cobol) 1998-1999

    Brookdale Community College (NJ) (3 semesters) TV Production 1996-1997

    Princeton University (NJ) (2 audits) Religion/Gnosticism Fall/1995

    The Pennsylvania State University Ph.D. Geology/Palynology 11/1977

    University of Connecticut M.S. Botany/Paleobotany 05/1973

    University of Connecticut B.A. Biology 06/1970

    Fairleigh Dickinson University (NJ) (transfered) Zoology/pre-Med 1963-66

    Conard High School (W.Htfd., CT) general 1960-63

SUMMARY EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

    Professor of Geology, El Paso Community College, El Paso, TX. 8/04 to present

    Professor of Geology and Botany, Raritan Valley Community College, Somerville, NJ. 1/03
    to present

    Professional Photographer, Lors Studio, Union, NJ. 8/00-11/00 (seasonal)

    SETV proposal and five year engineer and science project (under development)

    MCAT Instructor, Princeton Review of NJ, Inc., New Brunswick, NJ. 1/99-1/00

    Mainframe Computer Programming, student (Chubb Institute). 7/98-7/99

    Sabbatical - scientific research and writing. 3/93-12/98

    Staff Associate, Lamont-Doherty Earth Obs. 4/90-2/93

    Chief Consulting Geologist, Eastern Exploration, Inc. 12/89-3/90

    Research Associate, Lamont-Doherty Earth Obs. 7/89-12/89

    Post-Doctoral Research Assoc., Lamont-Doherty Earth Obs. 8/88-7/89

    Independent geological consultant, Houston, TX 4/85-7/88

    Stratigrapher and Manager of Palynology Lab., Superior Oil Co., Houston, TX 5/82-3/85

    President, Geminoil, Inc., Houston, TX 4/81-5/82

    Senior Geologist, Exxon Co., U.S.A., Houston, TX 8/80-3/81

    Senior Geologist, Gulf Res. & Dev. Co., Houston, TX 6/77-7/80

    Carling Electric Co., West Hartford, CT (Engineering) 5/69-8/69

    Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Co., East Hartford, CT (Material.Contr.Lab.) 8/66-1/68

    Alpha Pi Theta honor society (Brookdale C.C.), inducted March 1997.

    The American Association of Petroleum Geologists, 1977 to 1996.

    The American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists, 1972 to 1996.

    The Botanical Society of America, 1971 to 1996.

    Sigma Xi honor society (Penn State), elected 1975.

    Phi Kappa Phi honor society (U. Conn), elected 1970.

    Phi Zeta Kappa honor society (F.D.U.), elected 1964.

    Exibit curator and public guide at Rocky Hill Dinosaur Park, CT (1970).

    Honorary Curator of Paleobotany for the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences, 1979-1988
    (1978-1980 curated paleobotanical collections; 1987 assisted in giant armadillo display).

    Helped curate paleobotanical collections at Virginia Museum of Natural History (1992).

    Between 1989 and 1993 Cornet was an integral part of the largest, NSF funded, continental coring project on the East Coast, which successfully recovered the first detailed history of the earth's climate preceding and during the early part of the age of dinosaurs. During the Late Triassic and into the Early Jurassic (228-200 mya) the Newark basin (NJ/PA) was tropically situated near the paleoequator. Nearly 21,000 feet of cyclically deposited lacustrine strata were deposited in rift-valley lakes during that time. We successfully cored and described all of that strata, and entered detailed inch-by-inch description of the sedimentary variations into a computer program, which analyzed the cycles according to fast Fourier transform analysis. From the results we were able to prove that the movement of the closest and largest planets in our solar system have a profound effect on regulating and determining climatic cycles on Earth.

    During his doctoral studies at Penn State (1972-1977) Cornet discovered angiosperm-like pollen in rocks 100 million years older than the oldest accepted age for the flowering plants, and he publically announced my discovery not long after the majority of botanists had cast their vote for the dominant theory, which stated that no such fossils of that age could exist. A short article on this discovery appeared in the May 1979 issue of Omni magazine. Subsequent discoveries of leaves and flowers strongly support a Triassic rather than Cretaceous age for the oldest angiosperms. His most recent discovery of a Triassic angiosperm-like leaf is acknowledged in the January 1995 issue of Discover magazine.

(A) palynology, stratigraphy, sedimentology, paleoecology, and paleobotany (21 yrs.)

(B) core and outcrop description (11 yrs.)

(C) well-log analysis and correlation, and seismic interpretation (7 yrs.)

(D) mudlogging and geochemistry (3 yrs.).

6/90-2/93, Research Associate, Lamont-Doherty Earth Obs., Palisades, NY. Responsible for mapping and correlating lacustrine lithostratigraphy of the Newark basin, NJ; palynological sample collection and analysis, and biostratigraphic correlation of lacustrine units in Newark basin; determination of stratigraphy and structure of well site areas for 7 km corehole project in Newark basin (Principal investigators: P.E. Olsen and D.K. Rent); landwork to determine property ownership for chosen wellsites; cuttings sample collection and analysis at wellsites when applicable; to date core description, photography, and analysis of over 20,000 ft. of core from six wellsites in NJ.

5/90-2/93, Geological Consultant, Eastern Exploration Inc., Saddle River, NJ. Responsible for geological modeling, geophysical interpretation, palynological sampling and analysis, and geochemical interpretation. Interpreted and integrated geology, seismic, and palynology results to form basinal model in order to predict hydrocarbon accumulation. Worked on several frontier areas that are currently undergoing further exploration or drilling.

12/89-3/90, Chief Consulting Geologist, Eastern Exploration Inc., Saddle River, NJ. Responsible for geological and geophysical services in a successful land acquisition play in Taylorsville basin,Maryland and eastern Virginia.

7/89-12/89, Research Associate, Lomont-Doherty Earth Obs., Palisades, NY. Core description and analysis: lithological, paleontological, and weight composition of mud piston cores in Marine CoreLaboratory.

8/88-7/89, Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Lamont-Doherty Earth Obs., Palisades, NY. Geological and paleontological field work, palynology, paleobotany, writing manuscripts and grant proposals.

4/85-7/88, Independent Geological Consultant, Houston, TX. Prospect generation on salt domes in Brazos County, Texas; re-entry well prospects in southeast Texas; wellsite geology in Chesterfield County, Virginia; mudlogging in Appling and Wayne counties, Georgia.

5/82-3/85, Stratigrapher and Palynologist, Superior Oil Co., Houston, TX. Managed palynological laboratory and provided palynological services: Edwards reef trend, Lavaca County, Texas; Mississippian-Permian, Delaware basin, southeastern New Mexico; North Sea basin Jurassic Cretaceous, block 22/5B; Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous, McMullen and Atoscosa counties, Texas; Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous, northwestern Louisiana; Paradox basin, Utah.

4/81-5/82, President and Exploration Manager, Geminoil, Inc., Houston, TX. Organized an exploration effort into Late Triassic basins in eastern Virginia; wellsite geologist overseeing mudloggers on two deep wells; performed independent cuttings and core descriptions, and documented with geochemistry all oil and gas shows. Directly and indirectly responsible for the drilling of six exploratory and wildcat wells in the Richmond basin. Geminoil interests purchased by SEPCO in 1985.

8/80 - 3/81, Senior Geologist and Palynologist, Exxon Co., U.S.A., Houston, TX. Provided palynological services: thermal maturation and diagenesis of Gulf Coast overpressured zones; Paleozoic-Mesozoic, overthrust belt, Utah; Triassic, Chinle Formation and Dockum Group, Texas, New Mexico, and Utah; Cretaceous, Colorado.

6/77-7/80, Senior Geologist and Palynologist, Gulf Research & Development Co., Houston, TX. Provided palynological services: continental shelf, offshore Eastern North America, Georges Bank and Baltimore Canyon; offshore Ireland, Porcupine basin; Mississippian-PennsyIvanian, Williston basin, North Dokota and Montana.

5/69-8/69, Assistant Electrical Engineer, Carling Electric Co., West Hartford, CT. Materials Control Department. Reviewed and engineered increased productivity in the manufacturing procedures for all in-production types of electrical switches.

8/66-1/68, Materials Control Technician, Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Co., East Hartford, CT. Materials Controls Laboratory. Tested and analyzed composition of cyanide plating solutions; machined and plated engine parts for corrosion resistance; tested rubber products for specs and distortion requirements; tested fuels and oils for quality composition through distillation and flash point methods.

Cornet, B., 1996. A new gnetophyte from the late Carnian (Late Triassic) of Texas and its bearing on the origin of the angiosperm carpel and stamen. In Taylor and Hickey (eds.), Angiosperm origin, evolution and phylogeny, Chapman & Hall, NY, 32-67.

Olsen, P.E., Kent, D.V., Cornet, B., Witte, W.K., and Schlische, R.W., 1996. High-resolution stratigraphy of the Newark rift basin (Early Mesozoic, eastern North America): Results of the Newark basin coring project. Geological Society of America Bull., 108: 40-77.

Fowell, S.J., Cornet, B., and Olsen, P.E., 1994. Geologically rapid Late Triassic extinctions: Palynological evidence from the Newark Supergroup. Geological Society of America Specia Paper 288: 197-206.

Cornet, B., 1993. Applications and limitations of palynology in age, climatic, and paleoenvironmental analyses of Triassic sequences in North America. In Lucas and Morales (eds.), The Nonmarine Triassic. New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science Bulletin, 3: 75-93.

Cornet, B., 1992. Dicot-like leaf and flowers from the Late Triassic tropical Newark Supergroup rift zone, U.S.A. Modern Geology, 19: 81-99.

Cornet B. and Habib, D., 1992. Angiosperm-like pollen from the Late Jurassic (Oxfordian) of France. Review Paleobotany Palynology, 72: 269-294.

Olsen, P.E., Fowell, S.J., and Cornet, B., 1990. The Triassic/Jurassic boundary in continental rocks of eastern North America; A progress report. Geological Society of America Special Paper 247: 585-593.

Cornet, B. and Olsen, P.E., 1990. Early to middle Carnian flora and fauna of the Richmond and Taylorsville basins, Virginia and Maryland, U.S.A. Guidebook No. 1, Virginia Museum of Natural History, Martinsville, 83 p.

Cornet, B., 1989. The reproductive morphology and biology of Sanmiguelia lewisii, and its bearing on angiosperm evolution in the Late Triassic. Evolutionary Trends in Plants, 3: 25-51 (cover picture).

Cornet, B., 1989. Angiosperm-like pollen from the Late Triassic Richmond rift basin of Virginia. Palaeontographica, 213B: 37-87.

Cornet, B. 1989. Jurassic rift basin floras and their climatic implications. In Olsen, P.E. and Gore, P. (eds.), Field Guide to the Tectonics, stratigraphy, sedimentology, and paleontology of the Newark Supergroup, eastern North America. International Geological Congress, Field Trip Guidebook T351: 47-52.

Olsen, P.E. and Cornet, B., 1988. Evidence for early Mesozoic mass extinctions in eastern North America rift deposits (Late Triassic-Early Jurassic, Newark Supergroup. IGCP Project 199, Rare Events in Geology, Berrichte der Geologischen Bundesanstalt (Wein), 15(Abs.): 20.

Cornet, B., 1986. The reproductive structures and leaf veneation of a Late Triassic angiosperm, Sanmiguelia lewisii. Evolutionary Theory, 7: 231-309.

Cornet, B. and Olsen, P.E., 1985. A summary of the biostratigraphy of the Newark Supergroup of eastern North America with comments on early Mesozoic provinciality. In Weber, R. (ed.), III Congresso Latinoamericano de Paleontologia. Mexico. Simposio Sobre Floras del Triasico Tardio, su Fitogeografia y Paleoecologia, Memoria: 67-81.

Ziegler, D.G. and Cornet, B., 1985. Newark rift system: a potentially prolific hydrocarbon province. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bull., 69 (Abs.): 1452.

Cornet, B and Ziegler, D.G., 1985. Structural styles and tectonic implications of the Richmond-Taylorsville rift system, Eastern Virginia. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bull., 69(Abs.): 1434.

Olsen, P.E., Remington, C.L., Cornet, B., and Thomson, K.S., 1978. Cyclic changes in Late Triassic lacustrine communities. Science, 210: 729-733.

Cornet, B., 1977. Preliminary investigation of two Late Triassic conifers from York County, Pennsylvania. In Romans, R.C. (ed.), Geobotany, Plenum Press, New York: 165-172.

Cornet, B., Phillips, T.L., and Andrews, H.N., 1976. The morphology and variation in Rhacophyton ceratangium from the Upper Devonian and its bearing on frond evolution. Palaeontographica, 158B: 105-129.

Cornet, B. and Traverse, A., 1975. Palynological contributions to the chronology and stratigraphy of the Hartford basin in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Geoscience and Man, 11: 1-33.

Cornet, B., Traverse, A., and McDonald, N.G., 1973. Fossil spores, pollen, and fishes from Connecticut indicate Early Jurassic age for part of the Newark Group. Science, 182: 1243-1247.

Geological Society of America, 30th Annual Northeastern Section, Cromwell, CT, 1995. A new cheirolepid conifer bearing flowers from the Early Jurassic of Connecticut, USA. (with Nicholas G. McDonald).

Botanical Society of America, annual meeting, Ames, IA, 1993. Anthophytes and angiophytes from the Early Mesozoic and their bearing on angiosperm evolution. 9th Midcontinent Paleobotanical Colloquium, 1991, Columbus, OH. Angiosperm-like pollen from the Late Jurassic (Oxfordian) of France and its bearing on angiosperm evolution.

Botanical Society of America, annual meeting, Richmond, VA, 1990. Fieldtrip leader for the Richmond and Taylorsville basins, Va. Early to middle Carnian (Triassic) flora and fauna of the Richmond and Taylorsville basins, Virginia and Maryleand, U.S.A.

International Geological Congress 1989 meeting, Washington, DC. Jurassic rift basin floras and their climatic implications.

Botanical Society of America, annual meeting, Columbus, OH, 1987. An Ephedra-like plant with cupulate flowers from the Late Triassic Dockum Group of Texas.

Botanical Society of America, annual meeting, Columbus, OH, 1987. Further evidence for the reproductive morphology of Sanmiguelia lewisii and its bearing on angiosperm ancestry.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists, annual meeting, Williamsburg, VA, 1985. Structural styles and tectonic implications of the Richmond-Taylorsville rift system, Eastern Virginia.

American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists, annual meeting, Dallas, TX, 1981. Recognition of pre-Cretaceous angiosperm pollen and its relationship to fossil polyplicate pollen.

American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists, annual meeting, Tulsa, OK, 1979. Angiosperm-like pollen with tectate-columellate wall structure from the Upper Triassic (and Jurassic) of the Newark Supergroup, U.S.A.

Last updated: 12/02/2007