ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to recognize Dr. Marcia K. McNutt, geophysicist and president of the National Academy of Sciences, as the 2021 recipient of the AGI Medal in Memory of Ian Campbell for Superlative Service to the Geosciences, AGI's highest award.

Dr. McNutt has made major contributions to our understanding of the dynamics of Earth's upper mantle and lithosphere on geologic time scales. Her long and productive professional career began with her post-Ph.D. position as a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey. In 1982, Dr. McNutt became an assistant professor of geophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was appointed in 1988 as Griswold Professor of Geophysics at MIT. She participated in 15 major oceanographic expeditions and served as chief scientist on more than half of these expeditions.

Dr. McNutt served as Director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) from 2009 to 2013, during which time the USGS responded to major disasters including the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, and Japan. She was Editor-and-Chief of the Science family of journals from 2013 to 2016. Since 2016 Dr. McNutt has served as president of the National Academy of Sciences, the United States' premier science organization advising the nation on issues related to science and technology.

In addition to her outstanding oceanographic and plate tectonics research and leadership, Dr. McNutt has made contributions to the geoscience community through her leadership roles as head of six major professional science and geoscience organizations, including as president of the American Geophysical Union. In these leadership roles, Dr. McNutt has been a highly effective advocate of the geosciences and the important role that geoscientists play in addressing many societally relevant problems.

"What an honor to be selected to receive an award named in memory of the legendary Ian Campbell," Dr. McNutt said upon being named recipient of the award. "I am proud to join the illustrious list of previous recipients of this medal and rededicate my efforts to furthering the welfare of the geosciences for the benefit of all people."

The Campbell Medal is given in recognition of singular performance in and contributions to the profession of geology. Candidates are measured against the distinguished career of Ian Campbell, whose service to the profession touched virtually every facet of the geosciences.

Dr. McNutt is being recognized at the Geological Society of America's Award Ceremony in Portland, Oregon, on October 10, 2021.

About AGI
The American Geosciences Institute (AGI), a federation of scientific and professional associations representing over a quarter-million geoscientists, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to serving the geoscience community and addressing the needs of society. AGI headquarters are in Alexandria, Virginia.
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Contact:
Geoff Camphire, Communications
gac@americangeosciences.org