Bowie Medal Research Articles

In Memoriam

Don L. Anderson, president of AGU from 1988–1990, passed away 2 December. Anderson, an AGU Fellow, joined AGU in 1958 and was a member of the Seismology section. He earned his doctorate in geophysics/mathematics from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 1962. A recipient of the AGU Macelwane Medal in 1966 and the Bowie Medal in 1991, he served as Caltech's Eleanor and John R. McMillan Professor of Geophysics. He was 81.

Raymond G. Roble Receives 2013 William Bowie Medal: Response

It is a great honor to receive the 2013 Bowie Medal knowing that it comes from such a prestigious and renowned geophysical society and from AGU colleagues whom I have interacted with for the past 45 years.

James Alfred Van Allen

James Alfred Van Allen

Turcotte receives 2003 William Bowie medal

Donald L. Turcotte was awarded the Bowie Medal at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held on 10 December 2003, in San Francisco, California. The medal honors “outstanding contributions to fundamental geophysics and for unselfish cooperation in research”

John A. Simpson (1916–2000)

John Alexander Simpson, a long‐time member and Fellow of AGU, member of the National Academy of Sciences, and last year's recipient of the Bowie Medal, died on August 31, 2000, from complications following open heart surgery. He was 83 years old and a professor emeritus at the University of Chicago, where he spent most of an extraordinarily varied and productive career.He received his bachelor's degree from Reed College in 1940, and a master's and a doctorate from New York University in 1942 and 1943. After working on the Manhattan Project until 1946, he joined the University of Chicago faculty where he rose through the ranks and was appointed to a succession of prestigious named professorships.

Herbert Friedman (1916–2000)

Herbert Friedman, recipient of the 1981 William Bowie Medal, died September 9 in Arlington, Virginia, at the age of 84. Dr. Friedman became an AGU member in 1957 and a Fellow in 1962. His professional career was with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory where he served as chief scientist of the E.O. Hulburt Center for Space Research. He was a member of the Aeronomy subsection of SPA.In his tribute for the presentation of the Bowie medal, Phillip Mange also a member of the Aeronomy subsection cited Dr. Friedmans dedication to the observation and interpretation of the space environment and its behavior and detailed many of his pioneering discoveries in geophysical understanding. These included the first space observations of the role of solar x‐rays,Schumann‐region ultraviolet, and Lyman alpha in the production of the ionosphere. Mange also noted Dr. Friedmans role as a principal contributor to the study of the relationship between solar flux variability and ionospheric behavior over a solar cycle; and his responsibility for the theoretical prediction and first observations of the role of solar flare x‐rays in producing ionospheric fadeout.

Anderson and Dziewonski to receive Royal Swedish Academy's Crafoord Prize

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has selected AGU Fellows Don L. Anderson and Adam M. Dziewonski to receive the 1998 Crafoord Prize in geosciences for their research into the composition and dynamics of the Earth.Anderson, of the California Institute of Technology, served as AGU President from 1988 to 1990 and received the Bowie Medal, AGU's highest honor, in 1991. Dziewonski is Frank J. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University, where he has been employed since 1972.

Eugene M. Shoemaker (1928-1997)

Eugene M. Shoemaker (1928-1997)

Eugene M. Shoemaker (1928–1997)

On July 18, Eugene Shoemaker died in a car crash in outback Australia, where he had been studying impact craters. His wife, Carolyn, was injured in the crash. Shoemaker was best known for the codiscovery of comet Shoemaker‐Levy 9, which smashed into Jupiter in 1994. Eugene Shoemaker received AGU's Bowie Medal in 1996 for his pioneering studies of extraterrestrial objects throughout the solar system, both in space and on planetary surfaces. Called the “leading comet discoverer of this century” in the Bowie Medal citation, Shoemaker, with his wife, discovered approximately 20 comets and 800 asteroids.

Hide receives the Bowie Medal

The 1997 William Bowie Medal, given by AGU for outstanding contributions to fundamental geophysics and for unselfish cooperation in research, was presented to Raymond Hide at the AGU Spring Meeting Honor Ceremony on May 28 in Baltimore. The award citation and Hide's response are given here.

Shoemaker receives the Bowie Medal

The 1996 William Bowie Medal, given by AGU for outstanding contributions to fundamental geophysics and unselfish cooperation in research, was presented to Eugene Shoemaker at the AGU Fall Meeting Honor Ceremony on December 17, 1996, in San Francisco. The “Drs.” in the title of the citation refers to both Eugene Shoemaker and his wife Carolyn Shoemaker.

Lehmann was at the core of studies of Earth's interior

In 1997, AGU will award the first Lehmann Medal in recognition of outstanding research on the structure, composition, and dynamics of the Earth's mantle and core. The medal, which will be awarded no more than every other year, is named for Inge Lehmann, the only woman to receive the Union's Bowie Medal. The Lehmann Medal is the first AGU honor to be named for a woman and the first to be named for a scientist who worked outside of the United States. What follows is a biographical sketch of Lehmann.

Council establishes new medal, approves bylaw changes

At its May 22,1996, meeting, the AGU Council established a medal for outstanding contributions to the understanding of the Earth's mantle and core. This medal honors Inge Lehmann, the discoverer of the inner core and the only woman (to date) to be awarded AGU's Bowie Medal. The Lehmann Medal may not be awarded more often than biennially. The awarding of the Bucher Medal and the Lehmann Medal is expected to alternate. The Council also approved an award for Excellence in Geophysical Education. Members will be invited to submit nominees for each of these new honors.

Bowie Medalist Allégre responds

Claude Allègre received the Bowie Medal May 31, 1995, at the Honors Ceremony of AGU's Spring Meeting in Baltimore. The Bowie Medal is given for outstanding contributions to fundamental geophysics and for unselfish cooperation in research. His citation was published in the December 26, 1995, issue of Eos; Allègre's resonse follows.

Eagleson receives Bowie Medal

The 1994 William Bowie Medal, given by AGU for outstanding contributions to fundamental geophysics and for unselfish cooperation in research, was presented to Peter S. Eagleson at the AGU Spring Meeting Honors Ceremony on May 25, 1994, in Baltimore, Md. The award citation and Eagleson's response are given here.

Charles A. Whitten (1910–1994)

Charles Arthur Whitten, who in 1980 received AGU's most distinguished honor—the Bowie Medal—for outstanding contributions to fundamental geophysics and unselfish cooperation in research, died of cancer on July 12. During his long service to AGU, he was general secretary from 1964–1974.Whitten was an eminent geodesist known for his pioneering work in the use of large‐scale computers for geodetic adjustments and his research in crustal movements. He gained a reputation as a leader in geodetic research and operations in the United States at the Coast and Geodetic Survey, where he worked from 1930 until his retirement in 1972.

Shapiro receives Bowie medal

The 1993 William Bowie Medal, given by AGU for outstanding contributions to fundamental geophysics and for unselfish cooperation in research, was presented to Irwin I. Shapiro at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony on December 8, 1993, in San Francisco, Calif. The award citation and Shapiro's response are given here.

A. E. “Ted” Ringwood (1930–1993)

Alfred E. (“Ted”) Ringwood died on November 12 at age 63. In 1974, he was awarded AGU's William Bowie Medal, given for outstanding contributions to fundamental geophysics and for unselfish cooperation in research. In his citation for the Bowie Medal, Francis R. Boyd said that Ringwood's “personal approach in Earth sciences has been to blend petrological, geophysical, geochemical, and cosmological data into detailed models of the mantle, the Earth as a whole, and the Moon.” These models stimulated and organized the thinking of many Earth scientists, Boyd noted. Ringwood was the 1993 Hess Medalist, in recognition of his outstanding achievements in research in the constitution and evolution of Earth and sister planets.

Nier receives 1992 Bowie medal

Alfred O.C. Nier was awarded the 1992 William Bowie Medal for outstanding contributions to fundamental geophysics and unselfish cooperation in research. The Bowie Medal, AGU's most distinguished honor, was presented to Nier on May 13 at the annual Spring Meeting Honors Ceremony in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.The award citation, delivered by Don L. Anderson, and Nier's response are presented below.

Francis Birch 1903–1992

Francis Birch, professor emeritus of geology at Harvard University and recipient of AGU's Bowie Medal in 1960, died on January 31 in Cambridge, Mass.Birch also received the National Medal of Science in 1968 for his work in chemical composition and heat flow characteristics of the inner Earth.