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Smith Medal Committee
2010–2012 term
Chair
Diane Wickland, NASA, Fairfax, Virginia
Members
Jay Fein, National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia
Ming Ji, NOAA/NCEP, Camp Springs, Maryland
Masaru Kono, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
William Prescott, Guadalajara, Mexico
Staff Liaisons
Beth Paredes
In honor of Waldo E. Smith's tireless efforts to build AGU into a vibrant, growing organization, this medal was established in 1982 for extraordinary service to geophysics. This medal honors individuals who have played unique leadership roles in such diverse areas as scientific associations, education, legislation, research, public understanding of science, management, and philanthropy, and whose accomplishments have greatly strengthened and helped advance the geophysical sciences. Smith was named the first Executive Secretary of AGU in 1944, and in 1970 he was given the title of Executive Director Emeritus. He was the first recipient of the medal, which recognizes extraordinary service to geophysics. The Smith Medal is given not more than every other year, with the next award in 2008.
Waldo E. Smith was the American Geophysical Union's first Executive Director. A civil engineer by training, Smith managed the administrative affairs of AGU from 1944 through 1970. Throughout his tenure as chief staff officer and editor, he worked tirelessly to promote geophysics on the national and international scene, with AGU at its forefront.
Committee Charge
- Select the recipient of the Smith 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, the 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 Smith Medalists,
- Review data from Smith 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