American Geophysical Union announces recipients of the 2016 Union Medals, Awards, and Prizes

Thirty-two individuals celebrated for their contributions to science and society.

21 July 2016


WASHINGTON, DC—The American Geophysical Union (AGU) has named its 2016 class of medalists, awardees, and prize recipients. Thirty-two individuals are recognized this year for their dedication to science for the benefit of humanity and their achievements in Earth and space science.

The recipients represent many areas of Earth and space science and come from a variety of backgrounds including early career researchers, climate scientists, data scientists, and journalists. Their passion, vision, creativity, and leadership have helped expand scientific understanding, pave the way to new research directions, and made Earth and space science accessible, relevant, and inspiring, to audiences across the scientific community and general public. The honorees will be recognized during the Honors Tribute at the 2016 AGU Fall Meeting, which will take place on Wednesday, 14 December 2016 in San Francisco.

“I offer my congratulations and thanks to this esteemed group of individuals,” said Margaret Leinen, AGU President.  “Their contributions to science and the world community are outstanding and have also helped AGU take a further step toward its vision of a sustainable future.”

Union Medals

William Bowie Medal
Stanley R. Hart, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

James B. Macelwane Medal
Andy Hooper, University of Leeds
Maureen D. Long, Yale University
Toshi Nishimura, University of California, Los Angeles
Appy Sluijs, Ulrecht University
Gabriele Villarini, University of Iowa

John Adam Fleming Medal
Rob Coe, University of California, Santa Cruz

Walter H. Bucher Medal
Samuel A. Bowring, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Maurice Ewing Medal
Peter G. Brewer, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Robert E. Horton Medal
Thomas Dunne, University of California, Santa Barbara

Harry H. Hess Medal
Alex Halliday, University of Oxford

Roger Revelle Medal
Ellen R. M. Druffel, University of California, Irvine

Inge Lehmann Medal
Shun-ichiro Karato, Yale University

Charles A. Whitten Medal
Veronique M. A. Dehant, Observatoire Royal de Belgique

Union Awards

Africa Awards for Research Excellence in Earth/Ocean Science
Musa Siphiwe Doctor Manzi, University of the Witwatersrand

Africa Awards for Research Excellence in Space Science
John Bosco Habarulema, South African National Space Agency and Rhodes University

Ambassador Awards
Ashanti Johnson, Mercer University – Cirrus Academy
Susan Lozier, Duke University
Anne Meltzer, Lehigh University
Naomi Oreskes, Harvard University

Edward A. Flinn III Award
Pavel Ya Groisman, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Excellence in Geophysical Education Award
Ashanti Johnson, Mercer University – Cirrus Academy

Charles S. Falkenberg Award
Kevin J. Murphy, NASA Headquarters

William Kaula Award
Louis J. Lanzerotti, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Waldo E. Smith Award
Mark Moldwin, University of Michigan

Athelstan Spilhaus Award
Roberta Johnson, University of Illinois

International Award
Tom Beer, Safe System Solutions

Science for Solutions Award
David Seekell, Umeå University

Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism – Features
Lizzie Wade, Science

David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism – News Award
Alexandra Witze, Correspondent, Nature

 Union Prizes

The Asahiko Taira International Scientific Ocean Drilling Research Prize
Heiko Pälike, MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen

Climate Communications Prize
Richard B. Alley, Pennsylvania State University

Learn more about the AGU Honors program.

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The American Geophysical Union is dedicated to advancing the Earth and space sciences for the benefit of humanity through its scholarly publications, conferences, and outreach programs. AGU is a not-for-profit, professional, scientific organization representing nearly 60,000 members in 139 countries. Join the conversation on FacebookTwitter, YouTube, and AGU’s other social media channels.

 

 


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