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| Richard Somerville joined Scripps as a professor of meteorology in 1979 and was the first atmospheric science professor on the faculty. |
The university recognized Somerville in its citation "for his
distinguished career as an atmospheric scientist and his contributions
to the field of climate change science."
The award will be presented Saturday (June 4) on the Penn State campus in University Park, Pa.
"I am greatly honored to receive this award," Somerville said, "and it
comes on an important anniversary too. This year marks 50 years since
my graduation from Penn State, which makes the award indeed very special
to me."
Somerville's interest in meteorology began when he was 10 years old and read his first book on the subject. His journey as a self-described weather buff led to a career studying meteorology and atmospheric phenomena. In addition, Somerville has also been a noted commentator on climate change science and has authored a popular book on the subject: "The Forgiving Air: Understanding Environmental Change." A revised and updated edition of this award-winning book was published in 2008.
Somerville also served on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) and in 2007, was a coordinating lead author of Working Group 1 of
the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report, which presented a synthesis of
climate change research up to that time. The IPCC shared the 2007 Nobel
Peace Prize. Additionally, Somerville has been a signatory to several
public statements by leading climate change scientists, such as the Bali
Declaration in 2007 and the Copenhagen Diagnosis in 2009.
Somerville earned his bachelor's degree in meteorology in 1961 from the
Department of Meteorology in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
at Penn State. After receiving his Ph.D. in meteorology from New York
University in 1966, he held postdoctoral appointments at the National
Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., and the NOAA
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Washington, D.C. and Princeton,
N.J. Before Scripps, he also held research positions at the Courant
Institute of Mathematical Sciences of New York University, the NASA
Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City and again at NCAR.
Somerville joined Scripps Oceanography in 1979 as a professor of
meteorology and was the first atmospheric science professor on the
Scripps faculty. He formally retired in 2007 and is now a distinguished
professor emeritus and research professor at Scripps. He remains active
in research, education and outreach. He divides his time between
residences in Carlsbad, Calif. and southern France, from where he
communicates with his research collaborators and his Scripps graduate
student advisees via email and Skype.
About Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, San
Diego, is one of the oldest, largest and most important centers for
global science research and education in the world. Now in its second
century of discovery, the scientific scope of the institution has grown
to include biological, physical, chemical, geological, geophysical and
atmospheric studies of the earth as a system. Hundreds of research
programs covering a wide range of scientific areas are under way today
in 65 countries. The institution has a staff of about 1,400, and annual
expenditures of approximately $170 million from federal, state and
private sources. Scripps operates robotic networks, and one of the
largest U.S. academic fleets with four oceanographic research ships and
one research platform for worldwide exploration.
Birch Aquarium at Scripps serves as the interpretive center of the
institution and showcases Scripps research and a diverse array of marine
life through exhibits and programming for more than 415,000 visitors
each year.
Learn more at scripps.ucsd.edu.
About UC San Diego
Fifty years ago, the founders of the University of California, San
Diego, had one criterion for the campus: It must be distinctive. Since
then, UC San Diego has achieved the extraordinary in education, research
and innovation. Sixteen Nobel laureates have taught on campus; stellar
faculty members have been awarded Fields Medals, Pulitzer Prizes,
MacArthur Fellowships and many other honors. UC San Diego — recognized as
one of the top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report
and named by the Washington Monthly as No.1 in the nation in
rankings measuring "what colleges are doing for the country" — is widely
acknowledged for its local impact, national influence and global reach.
UC San Diego is celebrating 50 years of visionaries, innovators and
overachievers.
50th.ucsd.edu