The 2015 Munk Award
is Presented to Carl Wunsch
On November 4, 2015, Dr. Carl Wunsch
(Professor Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, and Visiting Professor,
Harvard University) was presented with
the Walter Munk Award for distinguished
research in oceanography related to sound
and the sea. This event took place during
the Acoustical Society of America Meeting
in Jacksonville, Florida. The citation for
Dr. Wunsch that will be included on the cer-
tificate signed by the Secretary of the Navy
is as follows:
Carl Wunsch is honored as one of the fathers
of ocean acoustic tomography and as a princi-
pal contributor to our understanding of the physical processes that affect the propagation
of sound in the sea. He adapted the machinery of inverse methods and ocean state esti-
mation to enable the use of using acoustic data to estimate the ocean sound-speed (and
by inference, temperature) field and to the interpretation of a wide variety of other ocean-
ographic data. He applied inverse methods to the data obtained in pioneering tomo-
graphic experiments and made seminal contributions to the theoretical developments
that underlie the field.
After the award presentation, Dr. Wunsch delivered the Munk Award lecture. He
will also deliver a lecture during the awards session at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in
New Orleans, Louisiana, on Wednesday morning, February 24, 2016.
ABOUT THE MUNK AWARD
http://tos.org/munk-award
The Oceanography Society, the Office
of Naval Research, and the Office of the
Oceanographer of the Navy jointly grant
the Walter Munk Award. Recipients are
selected based on their:
• Significant original contributions to the
understanding of physical ocean pro-
cesses related to sound in the sea
• Significant original contributions to the
application of acoustic methods to that
understanding
• Outstanding
service
that
fosters
research in ocean science and instru-
mentation contributing to the above
The award consists of a medal designed
by Judith Munk, a commemorative lapel
pin, and a certificate bearing the signa-
tures of the Secretary of the Navy and the
President of The Oceanography Society.
The nomination deadline for the next
award is March 31, 2017. All nomi-
nations should be submitted either
in MS Word or Adobe PDF format to
info@tos.org.
Left to right: Robert Headrick, Carl Wunsch,
and Peter Worcester
TOS TOWN HALL AT OSM 2016
What’s Right and What’s Wrong with Graduate Education in the Ocean Sciences?
Please join us for a lively discussion among panelists, grad-
uate students, early career scientists, faculty members, and
deans that will focus on new directions and innovations that
could improve or even transform graduate education in the
ocean sciences. Discussion will focus on potential changes to
graduate student training that would better prepare stu-
dents for a variety of careers in this changing job market, and
on how the ocean science community might work across
institutions and universities to effect these changes. Bring
your ideas for building stronger marine science programs.
Refreshments will be served.
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
6:30–7:30 pm
Morial Convention Center Rooms 211–213