Two Boston University professors received achievement awards from two California organizations this month after making advancements in earth science.
Professors Maureen Raymo and Farouk El-Baz received the awards last month as a result of their many years of dedication and research in the field of geology.
On Jan. 26, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography honored Raymo with the 2002 Robert L. and Bettie P. Cody Award for excellence in ocean studies. Her focus of study is climate change in Earth’s history.
The award, presented to an outstanding researcher in the subject areas of Marine Biology, Oceanography and Earth Science, is given every two years. The prize includes a gold medal and $10,000.
The research to create her theories was a culmination of many years, Raymo said. She said she was honored to have received the award.
“This award is an affirmation of the value of my work over the past two decades,” Raymo said. “I hope that my work provides inspiration to others in the field of studying climate change.”
After graduating from Brown University with a Bachelor of Science degree in geology in 1982, she attended graduate school at Columbia University. At Columbia, she received a Master of Arts degree in geology in 1985, a philosophy degree in 1988, and a doctorate in 1989.
After eight years with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Raymo became a research associate professor at BU in 2000.
In her professional career, Raymo has published 47 articles in magazines such as Science, Nature, and Geology, a prominent professional journal. She also co-authored “Written in Stone: A Geological History of the Northeastern United States” which is used at several colleges in the United States.
Raymo has contributed a great deal to the Earth Sciences, including the development of the “Raymo-Chamberlin Hypothesis.” This theory discusses the Earth’s cooling climate, and the idea that it was caused by a reduction in atmospheric carbon dioxide due to enhanced chemical weathering in the mountainous regions of the world.
El-Baz, of Boston University’s Center for Remote Sensing, also received an award for outstanding achievements in science.
On Jan. 27, the Islamic Center of Southern California presented El-Baz with the American Muslim Achievement Award for his efforts to unite Muslims and non-Muslims after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States said Ann Deveny, BU spokeswoman.
“Dr. El-Baz receives many awards for his achievements in the area of Remote Sensing,” Deveny said. “However, this one is a very special award because it delineates his hard work since Sept. 11 to create understanding between Muslims and Non-Muslims.”
Farouk El-Baz recently gave the keynote address at Boston University’s 17th Annual Celebration on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He discussed the importance of tolerance in today’s wartime climate.
“We should reflect on Sept. 11 and remember what Dr. King said about religious tolerance and see what we can do to establish understanding and peace” El-Baz said.
El-Baz helped train Apollo astronauts with the US Space Program. He was also a science advisor to President Anwar Sadat of Egypt and King Hussein of Jordan.
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