02/19/2026
Robert A. Wiebe, who passed away on February 7, 2026, was an imaginative and dedicated scientist who shared his expertise in igneous petrology and mineralogy with so many Franklin & Marshall College students for over 40 years.
“Bob involved the best of his students deeply in his research, some themselves going on to become very successful scientists,” said F&M Provost Sunita Kramer.
In 1966, fresh from his Stanford Ph.D., Wiebe began his professional career at Franklin & Marshall College. A striking measure of his scientific accomplishments is his nearly continuous record of support for his research from the National Science Foundation. His list of publications mirrors his remarkable NSF support, including over 50 peer-reviewed papers in top journals. F&M students made important contributions to this prolific research profile.
Wiebe was also a warm and collaborative colleague in his department, and was honored by numerous professional accolades, including the 1998 Bradley R. Dewey Scholarship Award. After retiring from F&M in 2007, Bob moved to California where he maintained his research program at the University of California, Davis for more than a decade.