AGU Bestows Honors in Washington

During the American Geophysical Union’s spring meeting in Washington, DC, in May, a number of individuals were recognized for their contributions to the field of geophysics.

The Robert E. Horton Medal went to Jean-Yves Parlange, professor of biological and environmental engineering at Cornell University, for his “fundamental contributions to the understanding of water movement in the environment.”

Ivan I. Mueller received the Waldo E. Smith Medal for his “role in organizing international collaboration to establish the foremost global geodetic instrumentation networks in place today.” Mueller is a professor and chairman emeritus in the department of civil and environmental engineering and geodetic science at Ohio State University.

The James B. Macelwane Medal was presented to Gabriel G. Katul, professor of hydrology at the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences and the department of civil and environmental engineering at Duke University. According to the citation, his discoveries on the interactions between land and atmosphere “rank as some of the most profound and important in the field over the past ten years.”

The Excellence in Geophysical Education Award went to Edmond Mathez, James Webster, Rosamond Kinzler, and Heather Sloan for their work in “establishing the state-of-the-art Earth science exhibition, Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.” Mathez and Webster are curators at the museum; Kinzler is acting director of the museum’s National Center for Science Literacy, Education, and Technology; and Sloan is an assistant professor of science education at Lehman College of the City University of New York.

The recipient of the David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism–News was Richard Monastersky, senior writer at the Chronicle of Higher Education , for his article entitled “A Plucky Spacecraft Explores a Distant Asteroid,” which appeared in the 2 March 2001 issue.

Diane Tennant, staff writer at The Virginian-Pilot, received the Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism—Features for her seven-part article entitled “A Cosmic Tale,” which appeared in the 24–30 June 2001 issues of the newspaper.