PAOC Spotlights

MIT Professor of Oceanography John Marshall has been awarded the A.G. Huntsman Medal, named after the eminent Canadian oceanographer and fisheries biologist. The honor, which is presented annually by the Royal Society of Canada, recognizes excellence of research and outstanding contributions to the marine sciences. It highlights an individual who has had and continues to make significant contributions to the fields of marine geoscience, physical/chemical oceanography, and/or biological oceanography and fisheries science.

In its citation, the A.G. Huntsman Foundation raises Marshall’s “extraordinary ability to combine physical reasoning with analytical and numerical investigations, which have led to major contributions in many areas of physical oceanography, the interaction of the ocean with the atmosphere, and the role of the ocean in climate.”

On being asked about the award Marshall said, “I would like to thank my Canadian friends in oceanography. Every morning I get up thinking about science and it’s nice to know that others feel that I am making a contribution.”

Marshall will present the 2020 Huntsman Distinguished Lecture titled "Imagining Ocean Circulation on Other Worlds" at the virtual A.G. Huntsman Medal award ceremony, on November 24th, 2020, under the patronage of the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. He will discuss research directed at understanding oceans on planetary bodies with liquid water encased by thick ice shells, focusing on the ice-covered moons of Saturn’s Enceladus and Jupiter’s Europa.

Previous MIT recipients of the medal include current and former Professors Henry Stommel, Carl Wunsch, Ed Boyle, and Sallie (Penny) W. Chisholm; MIT graduates include Scott Doney, Lynne Talley and Donald W. Forsyth.

Story Image: John Marshall on roof of Green Building (Credit: Ryan Abernathey)