USRA’s Paul Schenk Receives the 2021 American Geophysical Union Whipple Award

Columbia, MD--September 17, 2021. The American Geophysical Union (AGU) recently announced USRA’s Dr. Paul Schenk, at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, as the winner of the 2021 Whipple Award and Lecture. This prestigious award recognizes significant contributions to the field of planetary science from a mid-career or senior scientist. AGU annually recognizes individuals on the basis of “meritorious work and service toward the advancement and promotion of discovery and solution science.”

Dr. Paul Schenk. Image Courtesy: USRA?LPI

Dr. Schenk is an expert in the geology and 3D topographic characterization of impact craters and other features on the icy outer planet satellites. He has been a scientist on several NASA missions, including Cassini, Dawn at Vesta and New Horizons, and lead author of two books.

Established in 1989 and awarded annually by the AGU, this award and accompanying lecture are named in honor of Fred Whipple, an AGU Fellow and astronomer whose most notable work focused on comets. The named lectureships offer unique opportunities to highlight the remarkable accomplishments of the awardees.

The Whipple Award will be presented at the Planetary Sciences section reception during the 2021 AGU Fall Meeting in New Orleans, where Dr. Schenk will present the Whipple Lecture.

Additional Resources

https://eos.org/agu-news/2021-agu-section-awardees-and-named-lecturers

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About USRA
Founded in 1969, under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences at the request of the U.S. Government, the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) is a nonprofit corporation chartered to advance space-related science, technology, and engineering. USRA operates scientific institutes and facilities, and conducts other major research and educational programs. USRA engages the university community and employs in-house scientific leadership, innovative research and development, and project management expertise. More information about USRA is available at www.usra.edu