SECTION AWARDS AND LECTURES
William B. Hanson Lecture
Congratulations 2024 Section Award and Lectures Honorees!
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Career Stage
Middle Career
Award Type
Section Lectures
Of Note
Invitation to present at annual meeting;
Peer nomination required
Established 2020

Recognizing Mid-career Scientists Creating Impact in Space Physics and Aeronomy

The William B. Hanson Lecture is presented annually at the AGU Fall Meeting and recognizes a mid-career scientist who is making an impact through innovative approaches to observation and interpretation and to encourage a breadth in interpretation that advances all disciplines in SPA.

William B. Hanson lecturers are selected based on nominations by members of the Atmospheric Sciences and Space Physics and Aeronomy sections, the broader AGU community, and the general public.

Honor Benefits
Recipients receive the following:

  • Lecture certificate
  • Recognition in Eos
  • An invitation to present a talk in the special SPA Honors session at AGU's annual meeting the year the honor is awarded
  • Tickets to the SPA Reception at AGU's annual meeting the year the honor is awarded

About the Space Physics and Aeronomy (SPA) Section

The Space Physics and Aeronomy (SPA) Section is united by its interest in the Sun, the heliosphere (the region around the Sun that is permeated by the solar wind and the interplanetary magnetic field), and the upper atmospheres and magnetospheres of solar system planets and small bodies. To maintain the integrity of its scientific endeavors and to make participation in AGU activities more manageable, the Section is organized into three subsections:

  • Concerns of the Aeronomy (SA) subsection include the Earth’s ionosphere, thermosphere, and mesosphere, auroras and airglow, lightning, and planetary atmospheres and ionospheres.
  • Researchers affiliated with the Solar and Heliospheric physics (SH) subsection study the solar wind, coronal heating, flares, coronal mass ejections, magnetic reconnection, collisionless shocks, and helioseismology.
  • The Magnetospheric physics (SM) subsection’s focus is on geomagnetic storms, magnetospheric substorms, the magnetic fields and currents of the magnetosphere, the magnetopause, and the magnetospheres of planets and small bodies in the solar system.

All in the SPA Section share in the challenge to plan future space investigations that will lead to new discoveries. To generate excitement and understanding of space physics and aeronomy among the public, the SPA Section is involved in a number of educational initiatives.

The Space Physics and Aeronomy (SPA) Section is sponsored by Ball and Lockheed-Martin.

Eligibility

Nominee
The nominee must be:
  • an active AGU member
  • a mid-career scientist
Read Career Stage Policy
Nominators
Nominators and supporters are not required to be active AGU members.

Multiple nominators are encouraged to collaborate on the nomination package.
All Parties
Must be in compliance with AGU's conflict of interest and professional conduct policies.
Read AGU's Ethics Policies