Once in a while a scientist emerges who, through sheer power of intellect, curiosity and enthusiasm, transforms an entire field of study and effectively sets the trajectory of inquiry for decades to come. Such is Dr. William “Bill” Dietrich’s contrib...

If the dawn of mission-based planetary science and development of plate tectonics mark the modern age of Earth and planetary sciences, David J. Stevenson, the Marvin L. Goldberger Professor of Planetary Science at the California Institute of Technolo...

James L. Burch is a veritable space pioneer — a leader of satellite missions to the great unknown, a decoder of the secrets of space, a distributor of knowledge to the community and the world and a cultivator of individuals and societies that inspire...

With 4 decades of cutting-edge work in seismology, Barbara Romanowicz has transformed our understanding of the Earth’s mantle and core. She has made foundational contributions to geophysical infrastructure, and through the Cooperative Institute...

Daniel N. Baker’s contribution to our understanding of the Van Allen radiation belts through experiment, discovery, and interpretation of observations is without peer. He has made major scientific contributions across a wide range of topics in ...

Stanley Hart’s career began in the early 1960s with a focus on ­­­potassium-­­­argon dating applied to continental materials. By the end of the decade, however, his attention was largely redirected to the mantle—and it is upon this critic...