image: Dr. Talwani is the 17th recipient of the prestigious Wiechert Medal of Honor, which has been presented since 1955. view more
Credit: IODP-MI
March 23, 2009--The German Geophysical Society (Deutsche Geophysikalische Gesellschaft–DGG) announced today that the 2009 Wiechert Medal for outstanding achievement in geophysics was awarded to Manik Talwani, president of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Management International (IODP-MI), and Schlumberger Professor Emeritus, Rice University, Houston. The award was presented to Professor Talwani at the opening ceremony of the DGG Annual General Meeting on March 23, 2009, in Kiel, Germany. The medal is named after famed seismologist Emil Wiechert, who founded the DGG in 1922.
The Wiechert medal has been awarded to only 17 scientists since 1955, when it was first awarded to Julius Bartels, a German geophysicist and statistician who advanced the field of geomagnetic activity. Other awardees include Beno Gutemberg and Albert Defant (1956), Inge Lehman (1964), and Keith Runcorn (1996).
"I am honored to be placed in the company of scientists who have made fundamental contributions to science," said Prof. Talwani. "Wiechert medal recipients who precede me have changed the course of science and made great impacts on our current understanding of geophysics."
Dr. Talwani's research interests are broad and include development of widely used algorithms for forward modeling of potential fields and studies of continental margins and mid-ocean ridges. He was team leader for the only gravity measurements ever made on the moon. He is an expert on gravity gradiometry and used the technique—previously used only by industry—to obtain airborne gravity gradient measurements over the San Andreas fault drill site. His work related to heavy oil led to the development of a patented system and process for secondary hydrocarbon recovery.
As the inaugural president of Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Management International, Dr. Talwani oversees IODP, the international marine research program that investigates climate change history, the deep biosphere, geodynamics and solid Earth cycles by drilling, coring, and monitoring activity beneath the seafloor