In addition to seeing both Sam Bowring and Sara Seager elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the past year saw many prestigious distinctions earned by members of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences faculty.

Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Atmospheric Science Kerry Emanuel has been invited to give the Bjerknes Lecture at the Fall 2015 meeting of the American Geophysical Union. In addition, a paper [Aerts et al., 2014], which he co-authored, was awarded the Science of Risk Prize by Lloyds of London—an award for scientists who advance the understanding of risks related to climate change.

Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences Dara Entekhabi was elected a Fellow of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) for contributions to microwave remote sensing of soil moisture, and was also awarded the 2015 Hydrologic Sciences Award from the American Geophysical Union for his work clarifying “the complex processes and feedbacks that take place at the land-atmosphere boundary.

Professor of Oceanography Glenn Flierl was awarded the Henry Stommel Research Award of the American Meteorological Society “for fundamental insights into the dynamics of vortices and geostrophic turbulence and their impact on marine ecosystems.” He was also elected as a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union.

Associate Department Head and Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Geology Timothy Grove was awarded a Doctorat honoris causa de l’Universite de Lausanne. In addition, Asteroid (9276) ‘Timgrove’ was named in his honor in July 2014 by the International Astronomical Union. He was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences in May 2015.

Mitsui Career Development Associate Professor Colette Heald, who holds a joint appointment in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, was awarded the 2015 American Geophysics Union James B. Macelwane Medal in recognition of “significant contributions to the geophysical sciences by an outstanding young scientist.”

Professor of Physical Oceanography Paola Malanotte-Rizzoli has been honored with the Fellowship of the International Union of Geology and Geophysics (IUGG), Prague, 2015.

Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Oceanography John Marshall has been invited to give ‘The Bernhard Haurwitz Memorial Lecture’ of the American Meteorological Society “for seminal contributions to atmospheric, oceanic, and climate dynamics and the creation of innovative modeling tools and educational resources.”

Class of 1941 Professor of Physics and Planetary Science Sara Seager was a 2015 recipient of an MIT Amer G. Bose Award which she plans to use to map biochemical space as she pursues her search of life beyond Earth. Seager also received an honorary doctorate from the University of British Columbia, and saw Asteroid (9279) named ‘Seager’ by the International Astronomical Union.

In recognition of Assistant Professor of Planetary Science Hilke Schlichting’s work on the Kuiper Belt, the International Astronomical Union named Asteroid (9522) ‘Schlichting’ in July 2014.

Ellen Swallow Richards Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry & Climate Science Susan Solomon received honorary doctorates from Brown University and the University of British Columbia.

Emeritus Professor of Physical Oceanography Carl Wunsch received the 2015 Walter Munk Award, which is granted jointly by the Oceanography Society, the Office of Naval Research, and the Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy.