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Lehmann Medal Committee
2010–2012 term
Chair
Vernon Cormier, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
Members
Akira Hasegawa, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
John Orcutt, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
Barbara Romanowicz, University of California, Berkeley, California
Richard O'Connell, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Lianxing Wen, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York
Staff Liaisons
Beth Paredes
Inge Lehmann is the only woman to have been awarded the Bowie Medal. In honor of that achievement and her many contributions to the research of the Earth's mantle and inner core, the Union established a medal in her name. The Lehmann Medal will be given not more often than every other year in recognition of outstanding contributions to the understanding of the structure, composition, and dynamics of the Earth's mantle and core. The first Lehmann Medal was awarded in 1997.
Inge Lehmann was a Danish seismologist whose painstaking examination of seismograph records and ability to discard unessential detail led to her discovery of the Earth's inner core, one of the most important advances in our knowledge of the Earth's interior. Previously, the core was assumed to be homogeneous, but Lehmann's work showed that the behavior of seismic waves and their time curves could be explained more satisfactorily if a distinct central part were reflecting the compressional waves. Lehmann later went on to become an authority in the structure of the upper mantle of the Earth.
Committee Charge
- Select the recipient of the Lehmann Medal; the final decision is subject for approval of the Executive Committee.
- Interpret the scope of the award broadly and to keep in mind that as a Union medal, it should reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the Earth and space sciences.
- Be especially mindful of the diversity of the community of individuals encompassed by AGU.
- Do not depend solely on unsolicited nominations but should be proactive by encouraging nominations through committee member contacts.
- State, as part of their recommendation to the Executive Committee, number of candidates considered, how many of these were holdovers and how many were new, and whether the new candidates were nominations from general call or were actively encouraged by the committee.
- Define the process used for reaching the decision.
Work Plan for 2010–2012
In addition to selecting Lehman Medalists,
- Review data from Lehmann Medal’s selection processes for the past several years to determine if the program is operating maximally in terms of the relevant goals of the Union’s strategic plan.
- Work with Section and Focus Group committees to increase the number of nominations of viable candidates in underrepresented groups so that newly elected medalists reflect the diversity of the Union membership; and
- Work with the Meetings and Honors and Recognition Committees to review formats for the award ceremonies at AGU meetings and to recommend revisions to award ceremony formats as necessary.
–July 2010