February 18, 2009

UCSB Professor Named Fellow of International Scientific Society

Gail Gallessich

David Siegel, professor of geography at UC Santa Barbara, and the director of UCSB's Institute for Computational Earth System Science, has been elected a 2009 Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU).

The AGU is an international scientific organization of more than 50,000 members from more than 130 countries, all of whom are dedicated to the promotion of the scientific study of Earth and its environment in space. Annually, the AGU recognizes members who have made outstanding contributions to geophysical science. The AGU Fellow awards are conferred to no more than 0.1 percent of AGU members in any given year. A total of 55 AGU Fellows were elected from around the world in 2009, including 40 from the United States. Siegel is the only Fellow from UCSB this year, and one of four from the entire UC system.

The AGU cited Siegel for "accelerating our understanding of the biogeochemistry and the biological carbon pump of the ocean using novel optical measurements, analyses, and models."

This year's AGU Fellows certificates and awards will be presented at the AGU Honors Ceremony on May 26, 2009, at the Joint Assembly in Toronto.

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.