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July 16, 2007

Francis Nimmo wins AGU's Macelwane Medal

By Hugh Powell (831) 459-4353; hpowell@ucsc.edu

The American Geophysical Union has awarded its James B. Macelwane Medal to Francis Nimmo, associate professor of Earth and planetary sciences. The medal is the AGU's highest honor for young scientists. Nimmo will accept the award at a ceremony in December, during the annual meeting of the AGU.

The award was established in 1961 and renamed in 1986 in honor of James B. Macelwane, the AGU's 13th president and a renowned supporter of scientists early in their careers. It honors achievements in the geophysical sciences by outstanding researchers younger than 36 years of age. No more than three of the medals are awarded in any year.

Nimmo's research investigates the histories of other planets and their moons. He uses observations from spacecraft to deduce how they evolved--most recently with Saturn's moon Enceladus. He has also studied Mercury, Venus, Mars, and the moons Triton and Europa, among other celestial bodies. Nimmo adds his Macelwane medal to the 2007 Harold C. Urey Prize in Planetary Science and a 2001 President's Award of the Geological Society.

Nimmo joins three other UCSC faculty in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences who have received the prestigious medal: professors Thorne Lay, Marcia McNutt, and Quentin Williams.

More information about the award is available on the AGU web site.

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