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Brian Atwater Honored for Receiving USGS Award, Being Elected to National Academy of Sciences
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientist Brian Atwater was recognized at the annual USGS Western Region Awards Ceremony, held November 14, 2007, in Menlo Park, California, for receiving the USGS Excellence in Leadership Award and for being elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Atwater was given the USGS leadership award, which is granted annually, in recognition of his "outstanding acts, services, and achievements that exemplify and support USGS leadership goals throughout the bureau." Atwater could not attend the ceremony but was applauded warmly when Frank Shipley, Acting Deputy Western Regional Director, read a summary of Atwater's Excellence in Leadership Award citation: "While demonstrating unparalleled leadership in your contributions to the development of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System, and related tsunami-hazard-assessment activities, you have engaged colleagues in the Indian Ocean region in numerous training sessions on the topic of paleotsunamis and have conducted numerous scientific field trips to examine evidence of past tsunami events [for example, see Sound Waves article, "USGS Scientist Shows Evidence for 300-Year-Old Tsunami to Participants in International Tsunami Training Institute"]. This training has greatly improved the abilities of Indian Ocean nations to understand their tsunami risk. "In the course of your work, you have demonstrated effective interpersonal skills that consistently respond to the needs, feelings, and capabilities of different people in different situations—especially noteworthy with workshop participants from many different countries—and have developed many new cooperative working relationships with scientists in the Indian Ocean region. "Your dedication, hard work, and leadership abilities have greatly improved the capacities of scientists in the Indian Ocean region and have contributed to a greater USGS international stature." Also noted at the awards ceremony was Atwater's election earlier in the year as a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He is among 72 new members and 18 foreign associates from 12 countries elected to the National Academy on May 1, 2007, in recognition of distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Atwater studies historically recent earthquakes and tsunamis and their inherent hazards. He is widely noted for work that uncovered evidence of a giant earthquake off the coast of Washington. Subsequent work with scientists from Japan found evidence in that country of a destructive tsunami wave with no known source, which led to a determination that the wave was generated by the earthquake off Washington's coast on January 26, 1700. (See USGS Professional Paper "The Orphan Tsunami of 1700").
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in this issue:
Coastal Processes Affect a Restored Tidal Wetland Coral-Reef Investigation Featured in Molokai Times
International Delta Roundtable Meeting 2007 SACNAS National Conference Ocean and Coastal Mapping Inventory Workshop
Brian Atwater Receives Award, Elected to National Academy of Sciences Peter Barnes Receives Scientist Emeritus Best Publication Award Ralph Cheng Receives Distinguished Service Award Janet Thompson Receives Diversity Award G.K. Gilbert Helps Celebrate Alumni Reunion
New Book on Tidal Freshwater Forested Wetlands |
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U. S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
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