David Lobell awarded the 2010 Macelwane Medal for significant contributions to the geophysical sciences

FSE Center Fellow David Lobell was among three recipients of the Macelwane Medal honored for significant contributions to the geophysical sciences by an outstanding young scientist (less than 36 years of age). Established in 1961, the Macelwane Medal is awarded annually by the American Geophysical Union.

The Macelwane Medal was renamed in 1986 in honor of former AGU president James B. Macelwane (1953-1956). Renowned for his contributions to geophysics, Macelwane was deeply interested in teaching and encouraging young scientists. The Macelwane Medal is awarded annually to as many as three or, under exceptional circumstances, up to five individuals "for significant contributions to the geophysical sciences by an outstanding young scientist (less than 36 years of age)." Nominees must be less than 36 years of age on 1 January of the year of presentation. James N. Brune was the first recipient of this medal.

James B. Macelwane was a seismologist at Saint Louis University. During the 1920s and 1930s, working with students and colleagues, he used seismic P waves to derive early velocity models of the mantle, developed travel time curves for numerous seismic phases, developed methods for hypocentral determinations of deep earthquakes, and showed that 4 to 10 s microseisms are traveling waves originating from storms at sea. Macelwane was a leader in establishing seismology on a firm theoretical basis. His textbook, Introduction to Theoretical Seismology, was published in 1936.