Medal Awards #4

Thursday, 16 April 2009

Weather in the solar system: Albert A. Galeev to receive Hannes Alfvén Medal The space within the solar system is not empty. The sun permanently excretes a wind of charged particles called plasma. The earth's magnetic field shields us from this space weather, but sometimes the solar wind is perturbed and particles are directed towards the earth. This occurs at the poles and causes beautiful auroras. Since the onset of space missions in the 1950s, Prof Albert Galeev is a prominent specialist in this field. In 2002, he retired as director of the Space Research Institute in Moscow, a position he held for 14 years. During his career, he received several awards for his contributions to the science of astrophysics, among which two Russian President awards for outstanding achievements, promotion of international cooperation and valuable contributions to space education in Russia. As Prof Galeev is not able to attend the General Assembly in Vienna, the Hannes Alfvén Medal Lecture will be held by this successor at the Space Research Institute, prof Lev M. Zelenyi. The future of hydrologic prediction: Demetris Koutsoyiannis to receive Henry Darcy Medal In order to predict hydrologic phenomena such as rainfall or river discharge, hydrologists statistically analyse data from the past. When this analysis reveals regular patterns instead of random noise, knowledge is obtained to reduce flooding risks and improving the reliability of water supply systems. As concerns about water resources are rising in many parts of the world, understanding the physics and statistics of hydrological records becomes ever more important. It has been shown that hydrologic statistics in their current state are not consistent with the varying character of climate. Demetris Koutsoyiannis is a professor at the National Technical University of Athens and studies uncertainty in hydrology. He has been engaged in projects throughout Greece and South-Eastern Europe, and developed a hydrologic information system for managing the Athens water supply. In his Medal Lecture at the EGU General Assembly, Demetris Koutsoyiannis will show the latest improvements and promising future paths in hydrological and water resources research. Jean-André Sauvaud to receive Julius Bartels Medal The 2009 Julius Bartels Medal is awarded to Jean-André Sauvaud for his outstanding contributions to the measurement and understanding of the complex particle populations in the Earth's magnetosphere. Sauvaud, Director of the Centre d'Etude Spatiale des Rayonnements (CESR) in Toulouse, has been responsible for the design and calibration of excellent particle instruments flown on numerous space missions. In his Medal Lecture, he will discuss acceleration processes of solar and terrestrial particles in the Earth's magnetosphere. Jonathan F. Stebbins to receive Robert Wilhelm Bunsen Medal The 2009 Robert Wilhelm Bunsen Medal is awarded to Jonathan F. Stebbins in recognition of his outstanding work on the structure and physical properties of materials of geological interest. Stebbins is a professor at Stanford University, studying the dynamic structure of minerals at atomic, microscopic and macroscopic level. His Medal Lecture at the EGU General Assembly will be on silicate melts, which have played a fundamental role throughout the Earth's history as they are the most efficient agents to transfer matter and energy. Fiorenzo Cesare Ugolini to receive Philippe Duchaufour Medal The 2009 Philippe Duchaufour Medal will be awarded to Fiorenzo Cesare Ugolini for his outstanding research in the field of soil science, with special emphasis on his contributions to the research of soil forming processes in the polar environment. He is active as emeritus professor at the University of Florence. Ugolini participated in 25 polar expeditions: To Antarctica, the Canadian and Alaskan arctic, Svalbards, West Siberia, and to North-East Greenland. In recognition of his scientific achievements, a mount in Antarctica was named Ugolini Peak. Fiorenzo Ugolini will summarise the most important findings throughout his scientific career in his Medal Lecture. Valery Korepanov to receive Christiaan Huygens Medal The 2009 Christiaan Huygens Medal will be awarded to Valery Korepanov for his significant achievements in the development of sensors and instrumentation for electrical and magnetic instruments for investigating the Earth and the solar system. Dr. Korepanov is Scientific Director of the Institute of Space Research in Lviv, Ukraine. Magnetic field measurement is as old as 5000 BC. In his Medal Lecture, Dr. Korepanov will discuss the progress that has been made since then. Maurice E. Tucker to receive Jean Baptiste Lamarck Medal The Jean Baptiste Lamarck Medal will be presented to Maurice E. Tucker for his outstanding work on carbonate sediments. Tucker is a researcher at Durham University and studies stratigraphic records: Sequences of rock formed by the deposition of carbonate, sand and organic material in the geological past. A better understanding of the formation of these sequences can lead to the discovery of oil and natural gas reserves. His passion for the subject is perhaps best illustrated by the title of his Medal Lecture: 'Limestones: the love of my life'. Ulrich R. Christensen to receive Augustus Love Medal The 2009 August Love Medal will be awarded to Ulrich R. Christensen for his fundamental contributions to geodynamics: The study of the internal physics of the earth and other planets. Professor Christensen is Director of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany, and devotes much of his time to planetary missions. During his career, Prof. Christensen has been very successful in developing computer models for investigating internal processes of planets. In his Medal Lecture, Ulrich Christensen will demonstrate the importance of these instruments in present-day research. Susanna Zerbini to receive Vening Meinesz Medal The 2009 Vening Meinesz Medal will be awarded to Suzanna Zerbini for her distinguished research in geodesy; the measurement of important characteristics of the earth such as its gravity field. Dr Zerbini is a researcher at the University of Bologna. She specialises in the use of advanced satellite techniques for the study of plate tectonics and sea level variations. Because of her prominent role in satellite geodesy and geodynamics, she was asked to become member of a large number of important committees, such as ESA review panels. Suzanna Zerbini is also a member of the board of administrators of the Italian Space Agency. In her Medal Lecture, Dr. Zerbini will show how four-dimensional observation techniques improve our understanding of the Earth’s system. Jochem Marotzke to receive Fridtjof Nansen Medal The 2009 Fridtjof Nansen Medal will be awarded to Jochem Marotzke for his significant work on ocean circulation, one of the most important drivers of the Earth’s climate. Dr Marotzke is Director and Scientific Member of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg. He is also Acting Scientific Director of the German Climate Computing Centre (DKRZ), and an Honorary Professor at the University of Hamburg. His major research interest is the role of large-scale ocean circulation in climate and climate change. A monitoring system for circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean will be discussed in his Medal Lecture. Yves Guéguen to receive Louis Néel Medal The 2009 Louis Néel Medal will be awarded to Yves Guéguen in recognition of his outstanding contributions to mineral and rock physics. Professor Guéguen is the Head of the Laboratoire de Géologie at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. In addition to being an international leader in rock physics, he has also provided significant service to the community, for example in establishing and coordinating international research programsand in encouraging collaboration between European research groups. His present-day focus is on the study of porous rocks: Reservoirs of fossil fuels and possible locations for carbon dioxide storage. Thomas Stocker to receive Hans Oeschger Medal The 2009 Hans Oeschger Medal will be awarded to Thomas Stocker for his contributions to the understanding of the role of the oceans in past climate changes and for his involvement in ice core studies. Thomas Stocker is the Head of the Division of Climate and Environmental Physics at the University of Bern, a position he took over from Hans Oeschger himself. Professor Stocker served as a Coordinating Lead Author and contributor for the IPCC Third Assessment Report, published in 2001, and has coordinated the chapter "Global Climate Projection" in the Fourth Assessment Report of IPCC published in 2007. As a member of the IPCC, Prof Stocker was co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Helen Crowley to receive Plinius Medal The 2009 Plinius Medal will be awarded to Helen Crowley in recognition of her outstanding contributions in the fields of earthquake risk assessment and seismic risk mitigation, and in the neighbouring fields of structural engineering and engineering seismology. The Plinius Medal was established by the EGU Division on Natural Hazards to recognise interdisciplinary research in natural hazards by young scientists. Dr. Crowley is a researcher at the European Centre for Training and Research in Earthquake Engineering (EUCENTRE) in Pavia, Italy. Her Medal Lecture comprises the use of computer models to estimate earthquake losses at the level of cities, regions and countries. Stéphan Fauve to receive Lewis Fry Richardson Medal The 2009 Lewis Fry Richardson Medal will be awarded to Prof Stéphan Fauve for his many contributions to nonlinear geosciences, the study of dynamics in fluids such as magma in the earth’s mantle. Dr Fauve works at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. Since early in his career, he has been involved in experiments and theory on thermal convection, the motion of heated fluids. These processes are responsible for magnetic field reversals, a phenomenon that is still poorly understood. In his Medal Lecture, Dr. Fauve discusses the similarities between reversals in the geological past and the ones observed in his laboratory experiments. Jochen Zschau to receive Sergey Soloviev Medal The 2009 Sergey Soloviev Medal will be awarded to Jochen Zschau for his commitment and enthousiasm to bridge the gap between fundamental research related to the physics of natural hazards, and the implementation of risk reduction technologies for the benefit of society. Dr. Zschau is Director of the Physics of the Earth department at the GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam. He also holds a full professorship at the University of Potsdam. Throughout his scientific career, Jochen Zschau had a strong affinity for natural hazards like storm tides, earthquakes, volcanic activities and tsunamis. Presently, his focus is on the development of the Global Earthquake Model, a public-private partnership for establishing an independent standard to calculate, monitor and communicate earthquake risk globally, raise awareness and promote mitigation.