
Beno Gutenberg Lecture
Information on the Lecture
The Beno Gutenberg Lecture is presented annually in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of seismology. The lecture is named to honor the life and work of renowned seismologist Beno Gutenberg and is presented during the AGU Fall Meeting.
The Gutenberg Lecture is also part of the Bowie Lecture Series, established in 1989 to commemorate the 50th presentation of the William Bowie medal, AGU’s highest honor.

Lecturer Benefits
AGU is proud to recognize our section honorees. Recipients of the Beno Gutenberg Lecture will receive the following benefits with the honor:
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1
Lecture certificate
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Recognition in Eos
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Recognition at the AGU Fall Meeting during the award presentation year
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An invitation to present the Gutenberg Lecture at the AGU Fall Meeting during the award presentation year
Eligibility
To better understand eligibility for nominators, supporters and Gutenberg Lecture Committee members, review AGU’s Honors Conflict of Interest Policy.
Nominee Eligibility
- The nominee is required to be an active AGU member.
- The nominee must be primarily affiliated with the Seismology section.
- The following individuals are not eligible to be candidates for the award during their terms of service:
- AGU President;
- AGU President-elect;
- Council Leadership Team members;
- Honors and Recognition Committee members;
- Gutenberg Lecture Committee members; and
- All full-time AGU staff
Nominator Eligibility
- Nominators are required to hold an active AGU membership.
- The following individuals are not eligible to be nominators for the award during their terms of service:
- AGU President;
- AGU President-elect;
- Council Leadership Team members;
- Honors and Recognition Committee members;
- Beno Lecture Committee members; and
- All full-time AGU staff.
Supporter Eligibility
- Individuals who write letters of support for the nominee are not required to be active AGU members.
- The following individuals are not eligible to be supporters for the award during their terms of service:
- AGU President;
- AGU President-elect;
- Council Leadership Team members;
- Honors and Recognition Committee members;
- Beno Lecture Committee members; and
- All full-time AGU staff.
Relationships to a Nominee
The following relationships need to be identified and communicated to the Award Committee but will not disqualify individuals from participating in the nomination or committee review process. These apply to committee members, nominators, and supporters:
- Current dean, departmental chair, supervisor, supervisee, laboratory director, an individual with whom one has a current business or financial relationship (e.g., business partner, employer, employee);
- Research collaborator or co-author within the last three years; and/or
- An individual working at the same institution or having accepted a position at the same institution.
Individuals with the following relationships are disqualified from participating in the award nomination process as a nominator or supporter:
- Family member, spouse, or partner.
- A previous graduate (Master’s or Ph.D.) and/or postdoctoral advisor, or postdoctoral fellow may not write a nomination letter but may write a supporting letter after five years of terminating their relationship with the nominee beginning on 1 January after the year the relationship was terminated.
- A former doctoral or graduate student, or a former postdoctoral fellow may not write a nomination letter for a former advisor but may write a supporting letter after five years of terminating their relationship with the nominee beginning on 1 January after the year the relationship was terminated.
Nomination Process
Named section lectures are not required to follow a nomination cycle process. Sections have the flexibility to adopt the process that will best serve their communities. For nomination requirements, please contact Martha Savage, Seismology Section President.


Nomination Package
Your nomination package must contain all of the following files, which should be no more than two pages in length per document.
- A nomination letter that states how the nominee meets the selection criteria. It should include details about the nominee’s significant contributions to the field of seismology. Nominator’s signature, name, title, institution, and contact information are required and letterhead is preferred;
Submissions
The 2023 nomination cycle will open on 18 January. Check back to submit a nomination.

Recipients

Philippe Henri Lognonné

Gregory C Beroza
Video

Malcolm Sambridge
Lecture Title
A Biased Tour of Geophysical Inversion
Video

Emily E Brodsky

William L Ellsworth

Shuichi Kodaira

Karen M Fischer

Kazushige Obara

Susan L Beck

Michael H Ritzwoller

Thomas H Jordan

Thorne Lay

Michael G Bostock

John Emilio Vidale

Michel Campillo

Kerry Sieh

Goran Ekstrom

Peter M Shearer

Barbara A Romanowicz

Francis A. Dahlen

Don L Anderson

James N Brune

Adam M Dziewonski

Hiroo Kanamori

Guust Nolet
