Dr. Bonnie Anne Blackwell

1955 - 2021
Dr. Bonnie Anne Blackwell, of Glenwood Landing, NY, died on Wednesday, September 8, 2021, at North Shore University Hospital. She was 66.

Dr. Blackwell was born on April 8, 1955, in Paris, Ontario, Canada. She was a graduate of McMaster University with honors in anthropology (B.A.) and geology (M.Sc.) and received her Ph.D. in geochemistry and paleontology from the University of Alberta. In 1989, Dr. Blackwell moved to McMaster University to work on what would become her life's work on using the electron spin resonance methodology to date fossils from all continents except Antarctica. In 1993, Dr. Blackwell began to mentor university and high school students in her labs at the University of Windsor and Queens College, CUNY. In 1998, she joined Williams College as a research scientist and co-led the RFK Science Research Institute with her late husband and colleague Dr. Joel Blickstein to offer high school students the opportunity to participate in graduate-level research. In 2017, Drs. Blackwell and Blickstein co-founded the Educational and Scientific Research Foundation to continue the mission of the RFK Science Research Institute.

Dr. Blackwell was a Fellow of both the Geological Society of America and the Geological Society of Canada. As a world-renowned figure in elucidating the evolution and migrations of early humans and changes in paleoclimate, Dr. Blackwell led excavations and projects studying fossils from over 90 archaeological sites around the world and published more than 80 articles in government reports, peer reviewed journals and monographs. Among her many important contributions were the most complete sequence of dates going back 100,000 years for fossils uncovered from the Divje Babe cave in Slovenia. Those fossils included the famous "Neanderthal flute" - the world's oldest musical instrument (43,000 years) - on display at the National Museum of Slovenia.

Dr. Blackwell achieved a prolific and groundbreaking scientific research career while working full-time as a public high school science teacher in New York City from 1999-2019. In collaboration with the Department of Chemistry at Williams College, she mentored a cohort of 6-8 high school students each year (total over 100) to conduct serious, publishable research in archaeology, paleontology, geology, and geochemistry. All students who completed a research project won prizes in major youth science fairs and contests at national and international levels. Dr. Blackwell's immense care and dedication to her students enabled many - especially those from low-income, minority and immigrant backgrounds - to gain admissions to the most prestigious universities, including Harvard, MIT, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, and Princeton, and pursue successful careers in STEM fields and beyond. She stayed in close touch with her students, following their every step and offering support and advocacy along the way, particularly during times of challenges and hardships.

Dr. Blackwell is survived by her stepchildren Jason and Tina and their families. Her students will always remember her fondly as 'BABB,' who loved them like a mother and brightened their hearts and minds.