Geophysics Researchers Honored by AGU

At its meeting in San Francisco in December 2002, the American Geophysical Union bestowed the following medals at a special awards ceremony.

Adam M. Dziewonski, Frank B. Baird Jr Professor of Science at Harvard University, received the society’s top honor, the William Bowie Medal. He was recognized for his “fundamental contributions to the understanding of the structure and dynamics of the Earth and the character and distribution of seismic energy release; for dramatically improving our understanding of how seismic waves propagate; and for his willingness to share his expertise with his colleagues to further this research.”

The Walter Bucher Medal was presented to Stuart Ross Taylor, emeritus professor and a visiting fellow in the department of geology at Australian National University in Canberra, in recognition of his “fundamental contributions to the understanding of the chemical composition, origin, and geochemical evolution of the continental crust.”

The Maurice Ewing Medal went to Nicholas Shackleton for his “significant contributions to paleoclimatology, stratigraphy, and paleoceanography.” Shackleton is a professor of quaternary paleoclimatology at the University of Cambridge in England.

Ronald T. Merrill, professor of geophysics and geological sciences in the Earth and space sciences department at the University of Washington, took home the John Adam Fleming Medal for his “original contributions to the understanding of rock magnetism and dynamo theories of the origin of the geomagnetic field.”

The Harry H. Hess Medal went to Gerald Schubert for his “leadership role and for contributions to the understanding of the dynamics and evolution of terrestrial planets.” Schubert is a professor of geophysics and planetary physics in UCLA’s department of Earth and space sciences and at the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics.

John M. Eiler and Michael Manga each received a James B. Macelwane Medal, which is given for significant contributions to the geophysical sciences by outstanding scientists younger than age 36. Eiler is an assistant professor of geochemistry in the division of geological and planetary sciences at Caltech and Manga is an associate professor of Earth and planetary science at the University of California, Berkeley.

AGU gave the Roger Revelle Medal to Ralph J. Cicerone for his “extraordinary breadth of contributions to the understanding of biogeochemical cycles and their effect on climate.” Cicerone is the Aldrich Professor of Earth System Science, a professor of chemistry, and chancellor at the University of California, Irvine.

Daniel Weill, former director of the Ocean Drilling Progam at the Joint Oceanographic Institutions, received the Edward A. Flinn III Award for his “unselfish efforts on behalf of the wider Earth science community to meet the needs of evolving instrumentation and facilities.”

In 2001, AGU established the Charles S. Falkenberg Award to honor a scientist younger than age 45, who has contributed to the quality of life, economic opportunities, and stewardship of the planet through the use of Earth science information, and to the public awareness of the importance of understanding our planet. The first award went posthumously this year to Charles S. Falkenberg, a computer scientist, who was killed in the hijacked airliner that crashed into the Pentagon on September 11th.