Honors

Three AGU members are among the 10 recipients of this year's Heinz Awards, announced on 13 September by Teresa Heinz and the Heinz Family Foundation. Richard Alley , Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences at Pennsylvania State University, in University Park, was recognized for his polar ice discoveries that showed that abrupt climate change is possible and for engaging his students, policy makers, and the public. Joan Kleypas , a marine ecologist and geologist at the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration's National Center for Atmospheric Research, was honored for conducting seminal research on how changes in temperature and in seawater chemistry and acidity have affected coral reefs and for identifying ways to bolster coral reef health. Nancy Rabalais , executive director of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, in Chauvin, was cited for her pioneering research of severe oxygen depletion in the Gulf of Mexico and her commitment to reducing water pollution through education and public policy. The awards program “recognizes individuals creating and implementing workable solutions to the problems the world faces through invention, research, and education while inspiring the next generation of modern thinkers,” according to the foundation. Each recipient receives an unrestricted cash prize of $100,000.