Professor Allison N. Jaynes is an exceptionally talented space physicist who embodies the very qualities that the Macelwane Medal aims to recognize and honor. She is a leading scientific researcher; a passionate — and compassionate — educator; a champion for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI); and a leader in the scientific community.

Professor Jaynes’ research focuses on the dynamics of the energetic, charged particles that are trapped in Earth’s near-space environment. These energetic particles can disappear and reappear again on timescales of several hours, presenting important questions not only from a fundamental space plasma physics perspective but also from a societal perspective. Such particles can degrade, damage and even destroy delicate spacecraft electronic equipment and cause billions of dollars’ worth of damage during large geomagnetic storms. Among her numerous scientific publications (well over 100 at this point) Professor Jaynes has shown that energetic particle dynamics critically depends on two, lower-energy particle populations that set up the right conditions for acceleration to occur. Moreover, she authored a paradigm-shifting study demonstrating that acceleration could actually take two different pathways and didn’t necessarily have to follow the traditional mechanism. Her work was recognized with a “Top Downloaded Paper 2018-2019” award from AGU Wiley, and she was selected for the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award, which is a top-notch distinction.

Professor Jaynes is passionate about DEI issues and currently serves on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee on increasing diversity and inclusion in the leadership of competed space missions and on the NSF Geospace Environment Modeling and University of Iowa departmental DEI committees. Her DEI leadership was exemplified by an article she published in AGU’s Eos (2019) making the case that “equal representation in scientific honors starts with nominations” while serving as chair of the AGU Space Physics and Aeronomy section’s Nomination Task Force for 2019-2020, which sought to nominate deserving but overlooked (underrepresented minority group) members for awards and honors.

In addition to mentoring her graduate and undergraduate students and designing and leading the novel Edge of Space Academy at the University of Iowa, she has proposed a NASA Medium-Class explorer mission, serves as the co-investigator of another Small Explorer mission, co-chairs the Geospace Dynamics Constellation Science and Technology Definition Team, and serves on the steering committee of the National Academies Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics.

Professor Jaynes is truly exemplary and brings out the best in all those around her. I cannot imagine a more deserving recipient.

— Jacob Bortnik
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California

I am very humbled to receive this honor and to have my colleagues recognize me with such glowing praise. My work — the research, the teaching, the discoveries — has been the central core of my life and, to some surprise, has fulfilled me beyond my expectations. My colleagues, my students and my mentees have all enriched my life in so many ways. Through all the crests and troughs of experience over the years, my work and my career have served as a beacon by which I guided myself in times of upheaval and instability. The kindness and friendship given to me so freely by my friends in space physics and the support from my scientific colleagues have unequivocally made me a better person. There is so much about this planet and the cosmos beyond that is yet to be learned; knowing that I’m one small cog in that pursuit of greater knowledge gives meaning to my existence and peace to my mind. Science has been my friend, my benefactor, my guiding light, my solace and my reward. I was given opportunities to pursue a passion in physics and had the resources to follow my heart’s lead. It is my ambition to make it possible for everyone with science in their heart to follow that dream as well. To make our scientific spaces more inclusive, to make the careers we have achievable to others, to identify young people passionate about science and make sure they have every option available to them — I want to be a central part of the movement to do all these things. I want to see equity. I want to see diversity. I want to see human beings relating to each other as human beings, with compassion and empathy, and getting the best science done in the process. I’m honored and grateful to be recognized for my contributions to this important scientific community, as we endeavor to uncover the mysteries of the natural world.— Allison N. Jaynes, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa