topGeorge Hornberger —President–Elect
Michael McPhaden—President–Elect
Carol A. Finn—General Secretary
Jaime Urrutia Fucugauchi—International Secretary
George Hornberger
—Union President–Elect
Member of AGU since 1970. Ernest H. Ern Professor of Environmental Sciences at University of Virginia. Major interest is understanding how water flow through catchments affects the transport of biogeochemically active constituents such as organic carbon and nitrate. B.S.C.E., 1965, M.S. (hydrology), 1967, Drexel University; Ph.D. (hydrology), Stanford University, 1970. Faculty member at UVA since 1970. Visiting Fellow, Australian National University, 1977–1978; honorary visiting professor, Lancaster University, 1984–1985; visiting scientist (U.S. Geological Survey) and visiting professor (Stanford University), 1990–1991; visiting professor, University of Colorado, 1997–1998; visiting professor, University of California, Berkeley, 2006–2007. Fellow of the Geological Society of America and the American Women in Science. Author of 125 publications, 44 in AGU journals. Most important publications include modeling effects of acid deposition in catchments (several papers in the mid-1980s), hydrological controls on transport of dissolved organic carbon (several papers starting in the early 1990s), and transport of bacteria and inorganic colloids through porous media (several papers starting in the 1990s). Received the 1993 Hydrology Section Horton Award (AGU), the 1995 Biennial Medal for Natural Systems (the Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia), the 1995 John Wesley Powell Award for Citizen's Achievement (U.S. Geological Survey), and the 1999 Excellence in Geophysical Education Award (AGU). AGU Fellow, 1996; elected a member of NAE, 1996; highly cited researcher, ISI, 2000; Langbein Lecturer, AGU, 2002; Virginia Outstanding Scientist, 2007. AGU service as Editor of Water Resources Research (1994–1997); chair of the Publications Committee (2000–2004), and president-elect and president of the Hydrology section (2004–2008).
Statement: AGU has enjoyed tremendous success essentially since its inception, but definitely since I joined some 35 years ago. AGU has become a truly worldwide institution. The number of members continues to grow, submission of manuscripts to our journals continues to climb, and our meetings, particularly Fall Meeting, continue to increase in size. More important, the quality of the meetings and publications has been maintained and, arguably, has improved in many cases. Credit for this extraordinary success goes to the leaders, both the volunteer leadership and the staff. I have been privileged to work fairly closely with the last five Union presidents and other officers and with the leaders at headquarters, and I can see clearly why AGU is such a fine organization. The next president-elect must commit to carrying on this tradition of dedication to leading actively the work of AGU to “advance, through unselfish cooperation in research, the understanding of Earth and space for the benefit of humanity.” All this might be seen as an argument for a rather serene “business-as-usual” approach in the coming years. Unfortunately, there are major issues that confront us now and undoubtedly others that will arise in the future. We face an uncertain future in the era of electronic publication with pressure for open access and will have to adapt to external changes. The sheer size of our fall meeting makes it a challenge to adapt in order to retain the best features of such meetings. The expansion of our membership to dozens of countries and many different institutions indicates that we must continue to be aggressive in engaging members across all of the dimensions of diversity in our activities. And the growing importance of the Earth sciences in a host of areas that impact public policy, makes it imperative that AGU continue to assume appropriate positions of advocacy on geophysical issues. Should I be elected, I am confi dent that I can deal effectively with these and other issues that arise. I thought that I might revive Herbert Hoover's campaign promise and assure everyone that I would provide “two chickens in every pot”, but in deference to the vegetarians among our members decided that this was not a good idea. But I can promise to retain “two coffee breaks on every meeting day” so I will make that my campaign slogan.
Michael J. McPhaden—Union President–Elect
Michael J. McPhaden. AGU member since 1979. Senior scientist, NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, and affiliate professor of oceanography, University of Washington. Major areas of interest are large-scale ocean dynamics, ocean-atmosphere interactions, and the ocean's role in climate. B.S., physics, 1973, State University of New York at Buffalo; Ph.D., 1980, University of California, San Diego/Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, 1980–1982; visiting scientist and research faculty positions at University of Washington, 1982–1986; research scientist positions at NOAA/PMEL and affiliate professor positions at University of Washington since 1986; Senior Fellow, Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawaii, since 1987; Senior Fellow, Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, University of Washington, since 1990. Member of American Meteorological Society, the Oceanography Society, and European Geosciences Union. Member or chair of national and international science advisory committees sponsored by organizations such as the World Climate Research Program, the International Oceanographic Commission, and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Editorial Board, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. Over 160 refereed publications, 76 in AGU journals. Most significant accomplishment has been to lead development of an ocean observing system for El Niño detection, prediction, and research. AGU Editor's Citation for Excellence in Refereeing, 1995; Department of Commerce Gold Medal, 1997; Sverdrup Lecturer, AGU Ocean Sciences section, 1998; American Meteorological Society Special Award for Contributions to Observing El Niño, 1999; Federal Executive Board Public Service Award, 1999; American Meteorological Society Walter Orr Roberts Lectureship in Interdisciplinary Sciences, 2002; AGU Frontiers of Geophysics Lecturer, 2002; Grace Hopper Government Technology Award for Leadership in the Innovative Application of Information Technology, 2003; Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Federal Service, 2004; highly cited researcher, ISI, Thomson Scientific, 2004; Fellow, the Oceanography Society, 2005; honorary professor, Ocean University of China, 2006; Fellow, American Meteorological Society, 2007. AGU service on Information Technology Committee, 2000–2002; president-elect (2000–2002) and president (2002–2004) of Ocean Sciences section; member, Ocean Sciences Executive Committee, 2004 to present.
Statement: I am honored that AGU has nominated me for the office of president-elect. AGU is the largest organization of its kind in the world, with over 50,000 members from 137 countries. Given its broad disciplinary scope and global reach, AGU offers an unparalleled forum for communicating the excitement and relevance of modern geophysics to fellow scientists, policy makers, and the general public. The main vehicles for this communication are meetings, publications, policy statements, and public education. AGU faces challenges, though, as it strives to maintain its leadership in a rapidly changing world. When I first joined nearly 30 years ago, the Fall Meeting was held in two San Francisco hotels; now it is 10 times larger and fills the Moscone Center. AGU’s growth is beneficial in that it engages a broader spectrum of scientists and adds new dimensions to the Union. However, we must ensure this growth does not compromise the quality of AGU meetings or member services. It is also important to promote the widest possible access to AGU electronic publications. We need to develop more mechanisms to recognize the accomplishments of students and early career scientists, facilitate the involvement of members from developing countries in AGU affairs, and find ways to entrain individuals from underrepresented segments of society into the field. Above all, we must continue to uphold high standards for excellence in geophysical research.
My prior service to AGU has prepared me well for Union-wide office. While president of Ocean Sciences, I successfully led negotiations between AGU, the American Society for Limnology and Oceanography, and the Oceanography Society for a new biennial Ocean Sciences Meeting. I was also proud to present the first AGU Ocean Sciences Early Career Award, given to outstanding scientists in the first 8 years since Ph.D. This new award recognizes that not all early career scientists are “young” because of different career paths that individuals may take as they develop professionally. Finally, I have lived by the AGU motto of “unselfish cooperation in research” throughout my career as exemplified by efforts to pioneer free, open, and immediate access to data collected from ocean observing systems under my direction.
I am committed to an AGU that is progressive, vibrant, and of relevance to society. This commitment will guide my interactions with AGU staff, the AGU Council, and most important, the membership. I look forward, if elected, to the privilege of serving for the benefit of our science and our community.
Carol A. Finn—Union General Secretary
AGU member since 1980, Senior Research Geophysicist, U. S. Geological Survey. Major research interests include geological interpretation of potential field data, volcano hazards, and tectonics. B.A. Geology, 1978, Wellesley College; M. S. Geophysics, 1982, University of Colorado; Ph. D. Geophysics, 1988, University of Colorado. USGS employee since 1978; Visiting (Gledden) Fellow, University of Western Australia, 2002; Visiting Fellow Japan Geological Survey 1990–1992; Member, Department of Geological Sciences Advisory Board, University of Colorado (2002–present); Member, Advisory board for the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, University of Kansas (2005–2007). Annual USGS awards for project management (1999–2004); US Board of Geographic Names named Finn Spur in Antarctica (79° 17'S, 156° 37'E) in recognition of Antarctic project leadership (2002). Authored 54 referred publications, ~half in AGU journals. Finn, C.A., Müller, R.D., and Panter, K., A Cenozoic diffuse alkaline magmatic province (DAMP) in the Southwest Pacific without rift or plume origin: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 6, 2005; Finn, C. A. and Sims, P.K., Signs from the Precambrian: in Karl E. Karlstrom and G. Randy Keller (eds.), The Rocky Mountain Region -- An Evolving Lithosphere: Tectonics, Geochemistry, and Geophysics: AGU Monograph 154, 39–54, 2005; Finn, Carol A. and L. A. Morgan, High-resolution aeromagnetic mapping of volcanic terrain, Yellowstone National Park: Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 115, 207–231, 2002; Finn, C. A., Sisson, T. W. and M. Descsz-Pan, Aerogeophysical measurements of collapse-prone hydrothermally altered zones at Mount Rainier Volcano, Washington: Nature, 409, 600–603, 2001. Fellow of the Geological Society of America. AGU service as member (1992–1998) and Chair (1998–2002) of the Budget and Finance Committee (1992–1998); member of the Special Committee on section structure (2001); member (2002–2004) and Chair (2004–2006) of the Statutes and Bylaws Committee.
Statement: The General Secretary of AGU, a member of the Executive Committee, serves as treasurer and oversees AGU administration. A critical role of the General Secretary is to help set future directions for activities that sustain AGU's economic vitality. During my 10 years as member and Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, AGU experienced significant changes including the financing of the construction of the new building with a bond, the dramatic increase in the reserves of the Union, implementation of new investment policies, the inception of the Development program, the transition to electronic publishing, the erosion of library subscriptions--a significant source of revenue for the Union, burgeoning of the Fall meeting, the start of several new journals, increases in the percentage of non-US members to more than 30% of total membership, and the rise in prominence of the Outreach program. My experience on both the Budget and Finance and Statutes and Bylaws committees, have provided me with an in-depth view of AGU's financial and administrative structure as well as its senior staff. For the future, AGU will continue to face economic challenges related to declining library subscriptions to journals, balancing costs of print and electronic publications, as well as the Open-Access movement which could alter AGU's financial model, and the impact of US Visa limitations on attendance at meetings and graduate schools as well as restrictions of publication in "prohibited" countries. Balancing support of revenue generating activities like JGR and the Fall meeting with essential non-revenue producing outreach, meeting and publication activities is an important role of the General Secretary. Other important functions include evaluation of the executive director and approval of salary for senior staff, both important for continuing the excellence of AGU. As General Secretary, I hope to help promote Development fund activities that will be a key to enhancing the non-revenue producing functions of the Union, foster communication within AGU by informally meeting with staff and externally by encouraging increased use of technology, and support the development of a succession plan that will assure that the Union does not suffer from either the unexpected or planned departure of any critical staff member.
Jaime Urrutia Fucugauchi—Union International Secretary
AGU member since 1980. Professor of geophysics at Institute of Geophysics, National University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City. Major areas of interest include paleomagnetic and rock magnetic studies of igneous and sedimentary rocks applied to tectonics and stratigraphy, paleointensities and paleosecular variation of the Earth’s magnetic field, gravity and crustal structure, and Quaternary paleoclimates. In the last years, interest has been focused on the Chicxulub impact crater and the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary. Cooperation studies have been conducted with colleagues from various countries including United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Spain, Canada, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, France, Germany, Italy, India, and Thailand. Ph.D., geophysics, 1980, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Director, Institute of Geophysics, UNAM, 1997–2005. Chairman, Department of Geomagnetism and Exploration Geophysics, UNAM, 1988–1997. Secretary-treasurer, Mexican Academy of Sciences, 2004-2006. President, Mexican Union for Quaternary Studies, 2002–2005; president, Mexican Geophysical Union, 1986–1988, and secretary, Mexican Geophysical Union, 2003–2005. Member of committees for scientific assessment including Mexican Council of Research and Technology, Mexican Academy of Sciences, and International Continental Drilling Program. Thesis advisor for 42 postgraduate students. Coauthored 180 refereed publications, 18 in AGU journals. Edited special volumes for Tectonophysics, Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, Quaternary International, Geofisica Internacional, and Meteoritics and Planetary Science. Associate Editor, Journal of Geophysical Research, 1993–1995; Bulletin of the American Geological Society, 1999–2001; Quaternary Research, 2005 to present; Geofisica Internacional, 1994 to present; Geologica Acta, 2002 to present; and Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geologicas, 2002 to present. Awards of the Mexican Academy of Sciences, 1991; American States Organization, 1992; Mexican Geophysical Union, 1992; National Puebla Science Award, 1988. AGU service as member of Meetings Committee, 2004–2006; chairman of AGU Latin-American Regional Advisory Committee, 1991–1994; Associate Editor of JGR, 1993–1995; cochair for the 2007 Joint Assembly and International Secretary.
Statement: The American Geophysical Union is a prestigious scientific organization dedicated to serving its membership and society by fostering scientific excellence and promoting research in Earth, atmospheric, oceanic, hydrologic, space, and planetary sciences. Research in geosciences is interdisciplinary and not limited by political boundaries; AGU has several programs to promote and facilitate scientific exchange and cooperation in the scientific community from different disciplines and countries. Membership continues to increase, including the international and student membership. In general, international participation in AGU activities is being implemented and promoted. This includes increased participation in meetings, publications, Union committees, editorial activities, and nominations for AGU awards and fellowship. Scientists from some regions, particularly from developing countries, are still not well represented and have limited or no participation in AGU activities. If elected as international secretary, I will continue to work closely with the council, staff, and membership to support and develop new AGU programs and activities and to promote and facilitate international involvement. International participation in AGU meetings and publications needs to increase, maintaining the high levels of excellence and opening new avenues. We need to develop and explore new ways to serve the membership. This may include electronic publications, access to electronic databases, Chapman conferences in developing countries, increased participation in meetings, and establishing contacts and partnerships with other societies. Joint activities and meetings with other societies will help in attracting new international members and participation. The 2007 Joint Assembly, cosponsored by 11 societies and AGU, attracted participation from AGU members and was successful in approaching new groups and colleagues from Latin America and the Caribbean. AGU contacts, cooperation, and partnership with other scientific organizations worldwide can further assist in reaching common objectives within AGU’s unselfish international cooperation, and the outreach and education programs. In the short and long term, promoting and facilitating interactions and cooperation among scientists from diverse regions and disciplines will strengthen and bring benefits to our Union, the geosciences community, and society.