Honors and Recognition Committee

Night sky with the milky way and stars over an empty road, USA.

Honors and Recognition Committee

Honors and Recognition Committee members (2024-2025)

Name	Institution	Title
Yuhan Douglas Rao	Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites North Carolina State	Chair
Scott Miller	Oak Ridge Associated Universities Inc.	Vice Chair
Mark Baskaran	Wayne State University	Member
Emily Cardarelli	NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory	Member
Jennifer Glass	Georgia Institute of Technology	Member
Audrey Huerta	National Science Foundation	Member
Alik Ismail-Zadeh	Karlsruhe Institute of Technology	Member
Julie Libarkin	Michigan State University	Member
Huixin Liu	Kyushu University	Member
Kristie Llera	Southwest Research Institute	Member
B.S. Daya Sagar	Indian Statistical Institute	Member
Scott Tyler	University of Nevada, Reno	Member
Leah Bland	AGU	Staff Partner, Manager, Honors Program
Rosa Maymi	AGU	Staff Partner; Director, Engagement & Membership

Committee Charge

The Honors and Recognition Committee maintains oversight of AGU’s honors and recognition programs at all levels – Union awards, medals, prizes, and fellows, as well as section honors. It conducts, on a regular basis, a periodic review of the program, which includes providing recommendations on improving nomination and selection policies and procedures, upgrading operational policies, reviewing the objectives of the medals, awards, prizes and fellowships to make sure that the program elements are well defined. It makes sure that section honors programs are current, appropriate and balanced. It is charged with reviewing proposals for new recognitions and recommends new recognition opportunities. It creates a community through ritual and celebration ensuring that the Honors Ceremony and related activities are maximally effective to leverage and enhance the external visibility and achievements of the scientist, the science and AGU.

Key Initiatives and Duties

The Honors and Recognition Committee ensures that the Honors program recognizes all constituencies and fosters a worldwide network of individuals in Earth and space science who epitomize excellence and cooperation in research, education, and outreach. The committee promotes transparency, allowing broad input and recognition beyond disciplinary awards, promoting diversity and inclusion to ensure that all AGU awards are recognizing underrepresented groups at appropriate levels. Duties include:

1

Recommend, implement, and evaluate strategies used to increase diversity of nominees and nominations.
2

Promote and develop new awards to enhance and support interdisciplinary collaboration and recognition.
3

Examine and report on program data to determine whether the number and quality of AGU honors nominees is competitive.
4

Provide strategies, resources, and support to Sections Honors Nominating Committees to strengthen and promote their role in AGU Honors.
5

Partner with staff to provide training to all honors selection committees on policies, processes and program elements.
6

Partner with leaders, staff and other societies to resolve common issues among scientific communities’ rewards and recognition programs.
7

Develop opportunities and mechanisms to leverage member accomplishments and honors.
8

Report on progress to Council twice per year, or more frequently as required.

Committee Members (2020-2021)

Name	Institution	Committee Role
Julio Betancourt	USGS	Chair
Wendy Gordon	Ecologia Consulting	Member
Lacey Holland	University of Utah	Member
Kathy Kelsey	University of Colorado, Denver	Member
Shiv Sharma	University of Hawaii & Indian Institute of Technology	Member
Rob Rader	AGU	Staff Partner; Director, Engagement & Membership

Subcommittee Charge

The group maintains oversight of the section canvassing committees and will work to increase the number of nominations, diversify the pool of nominations as well as contribute to the awareness of implicit bias throughout the nomination process. Additionally, the group will guide and assist with increasing awareness, education and adoption of leading practices specific to the nomination process as well as promotion of diversity within the Honors and Recognition programs. The subcommittee will partner with AGU staff, the Honors and Recognition committee, other committees and sections to accomplish their work.

Abtract Black Hole illustration with stars

Key Initiatives

The Honors Canvassing Oversight Subcommittee supports the following initiatives and duties. Their work is completed primarily through virtual meetings and one face-to-face meeting.

1

Work with section canvassing committees to increase the numbers of qualified candidates in underrepresented groups as well as increase participation from members with undersubscribed honors.
2

Track progress and demographics of nominations throughout the submission and review stages.
3

Partner with staff to provide training to all section canvassing committees on policies, procedures and best practices for the nomination process.
4

Examine and report on nomination data to determine whether the quantity, diversity and quality of nominations meet goals identified by the Honors and Recognition committee.
5

Provide input on section canvassing committees’ procedures, analyze results and make recommendations for improving processes to the Honors and Recognition committee.
6

Provide resources and support to section canvassing committees to help them conduct their work.
7

Collaborate with AGU’s marketing team to identify strategies and tactics to manage nominations, including increase for undersubscribed honors.

Honors Selection Committees

Every honor within AGU’s honors program, including Union awards, medals, and prizes, Fellows, and section honors, has a selection committee—some section honors share committees. Each selection committee is responsible for reviewing honors nominations and submissions and selecting the winner. Selection committees operate on an annual or biannual basis, depending on the award.

four awardees posing at the award ceremony

Honors and recognition selection committees

Committee name (by honor)	Honor type
Africa Earth and Ocean Sciences Award Committee	Award
Africa Space Science Award Committee	Award
Ambassador Award Committee	Award
Bowie Medal Committee	Medal
Bucher Medal Committee	Medal
Climate Communication Prize Committee	Prize
Cowen Award Committee	Award
Diversity and Inclusion Awards Committee	Award
Eunice Foote Medal Committee	Medal
Ewing Medal Committee	Medal
Excellence in Geophysical Education Award Committee	Award
Falkenberg Award Committee	Award
Fleming Medal Committee	Medal
Flinn Award Committee	Award
Hess Medal Committee	Medal
Horton Medal Committee	Medal
International Award Committee	Award
Kaula Award Committee	Award
Lal Medal Committee	Medal
Lehmann Medal Committee	Medal
Macelwane Medal Committee	Medal
Open Science Prize Committee	Medal
Perlman Award Committee	Award
Revelle Medal Committee	Medal
Science for Solutions Award Committee	Award
Simpson Medal Committee	Medal
Smith Award Committee	Award
Spilhaus Award Committee	Award
Sullivan Award Committee	Award
Taira Prize Committee	Prize
Union Fellows Committee	Fellows
Whitten Medal Committee	Medal