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July 14, 2008

UCSC seismologist Emily Brodsky wins AGU's Macelwane Medal

By Tim Stephens (831) 459-2495; stephens@ucsc.edu

The American Geophysical Union (AGU) has chosen Emily Brodsky, associate professor of Earth and planetary sciences at UC Santa Cruz, to receive the 2008 James B. Macelwane Medal, the AGU's highest honor for young scientists. Brodsky will accept the award at a ceremony in December, during the annual meeting of the AGU in San Francisco.

The medal is awarded for "significant contributions to the geophysical sciences by a young scientist of outstanding ability." It was established in 1961 and renamed in 1986 in honor of James B. Macelwane, the AGU's 13th president, who was known for his support of scientists early in their careers.

Brodsky studies the physics of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, focusing on how earthquakes are triggered, the frictional forces involved in earthquake ruptures, and the dynamics of explosive eruptions. She is recognized for significant contributions in areas such as earthquake rupture processes, hydrologic response to earthquakes, and triggered seismicity. In 2006, she received the inaugural Richter Award from the Seismological Society of America.

In addition to Brodsky, four other UCSC faculty members in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences have won the prestigious Macelwane Medal: Francis Nimmo, who won the medal last year, Thorne Lay, Quentin Williams, and Marcia McNutt.

"That's a remarkable number [of medalists] for a single department," Lay said.

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