00_cover_Biennial Report 05-06.qxd - INSTAAR - University of ...

Spotlights: Honors, Awards,and RecognitionDAVID ANDERSON RECEIVEDARTHUR S. FLEMING AWARD. DavidAnderson received the 2005 Arthur S.Fleming Award from George WashingtonUniversity for excellence in scientificresearch, one of three recipients. Theaward recognizes excellence in the federalworkforce. Recognized by the President ofthe United States, agency heads, and the private sector, thewinners are selected from all areas of the federal service.Anderson and his colleagues at NOAA have developed apopular and often-used archive of paleoclimate records ofpast climate change, the World Data Center forPaleoclimatology. These observations extend the instrumentalrecord of weather observations back thousands of years,providing a longer record of climate variability. The paleorecords also provide insights into possible future climatechange. The Fleming medal ceremony was held inWashington, DC, on June 13, 2006.JOHN BEHRENDT ELECTEDPRESIDENT OF THE AMERICANPOLAR SOCIETY. John C. Behrendt waselected President of the prestigiousAmerican Polar Society in spring 2006.The society, founded in 1934, has a missionto foster interest in research andexploration in the Arctic, Antarctic, and polar-like regions.Behrendt made his first trip to Antarctica in 1956 as a graduatestudent, where he wintered over at Ellsworth Station,and has continued his work in Antarctica on 12 additionalexpeditions, the last in 2003. He is one of two or three peoplein the world who have worked in the U.S. Program inAntarctica in parts of six successive decades. The BehrendtMountains in Ellsworth Land were named for him as a resultof an over-snow traverse that he led using Sno-Cats in thatarea in 1957–1958.Behrendt was employed by the U.S. Geological Surveyfor 31 years, has also been a member of the U.S. StateDepartment delegation to 22 Antarctic Treaty ConsultativeMeetings, and has authored two books about his Antarcticexperience, in 1998 and 2005, respectively—Innocents onthe Ice; a Memoir of Antarctic Exploration, 1957 and TheNinth Circle; a Memoir of Life and Death in Antarctica,1960–1962. His current research at INSTAAR includes thestudy of geophysical evidence for subglacial late Cenozoicvolcanism beneath the Antarctic ice sheet.In addition to Antarctica, Behrendt carried out geophysicalinvestigations in West Africa, the Atlantic continentalmargin of the U.S., and the Rocky Mountains. Hemakes his home in Boulder and always has a backpackready for another expedition to the world’s most remotecontinent.BOB ANDERSON ELECTED AFELLOW OF THE AMERICANGEOPHYSICAL UNION. Robert S.Anderson was elected a Fellow of theAmerican Geophysical Union for “fundamentaland pioneering contributions inquantitative geomorphology, geochronology,hydrology and glaciology.” Fellowship is bestowed ononly 0.1% of the total AGU membership of about 35,000in any given year and recognizes scientistswho have attained acknowledged eminencein the geophysical sciences.Anderson has been a leader in the distinctivecombination of rigorous field measurementsand numerical modeling. Hisapproach involves monitoring modern systems,numerical modeling of these systemsconstrained by modern rates, and establishmentof a chronology that constrains thelonger-term pace of landscape evolution. Hehas successfully applied this approach toclassic problems of geomorphology such aseolian transport, rock abrasion, and the evolutionof glacial valleys and whole landscapes.Anderson’s keen desire to understandthe processes that drive landscapeevolution has led him to work (1) at scalesfrom sand-grain trajectories to mountainranges, (2) in environments from deserts tothe Arctic, and (3) with techniques fromfluid mechanical simulation to cosmogenicradionuclide dating.Throughout his distinctive and variedscientific contributions, Anderson hasshared his work and publication historywith a long list of students and colleagues.Though the work has obviously benefitedfrom their talent and energy, Anderson’senduring and distinctive contribution is clearly visible. Hiscollaborative and generous approach continues with his roleas the founding editor of the new AGU journal JGR–EarthSurface.JOHN ANDREWS ELECTED AFELLOW OF THE AMERICANGEOPHYSICAL UNION. John T.Andrews was elected a Fellow of theAmerican Geophysical Union(Paleoceanography and PaleoclimatologyFocus Group) “for his seminal contributionsto the Quaternary history of North America and theNorth Atlantic Basin.” Fellowship is bestowed on only 0.1%of the total AGU membership of about 35,000 in any givenBob Anderson and John Andrews(both INSTAAR) on their way tothe American Geophysical Union(AGU) Fellowship honor’s ceremony,San Francisco, California,Spring 2006. Both Anderson andAndrews were elected AGUFellows. Fellowship is bestowedon only 0.1% of the total AGUmembership of about 35,000 inany given year and recognizesscientists who have attainedacknowledged eminence in thegeophysical sciences. Photo:Suzanne Anderson (INSTAAR).PEOPLE | 39