Frank Press
Encyclopedia
Frank Press is an American
geophysicist
.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Press was science advisor to President Jimmy Carter
from
1976 to 1980,
and president of the U.S. National
Academy of Sciences
from 1981 to 1993. He is the recipient of 30 honorary degrees.
Named in his honor are Mount Press
, in the Ellsworth Mountains
, Antarctica;
and Osedax frankpressi
, a species of whalebone-eating marine worm.
Press graduated with a B.S. degree from the City College of New York
(1944) and
completed his M.A. (1946) and Ph.D. (1949) degrees at Columbia University
under Maurice "Doc" Ewing
. As one of Ewing's two assistant professors,
(with J. Lamar "Joe" Worzel
as the other) Press
was a founder of Lamont Geological Observatory (now Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
)
in Palisades, N.Y. Originally trained as an oceanographer, Press participated in
research cruises on the sailing vessels RV Vema
and RV Atlantis
.
In the early 1950s, Press turned to seismology, co-authoring with Ewing (who
contributed only slightly) and Jardetzky a seminal monograph on elastic waves in
layered media. In 1957, Press was recruited by Caltech
to succeed founder Beno Gutenberg
as director of the Seismological Laboratory
, a position in which he remained until 1965. The appointment was
controversial in that it passed over both Hugo Benioff
and Charles Richter, then the laboratory's senior professors, for a much younger outsider.
Press' accomplishments in this
period include the design of a long-period seismograph, and
the first detection of the Earth's normal modes of oscillation ("bell ringing"),
excited by the Great Chilean Earthquake, a pioneering
application of digital processing to seismic recordings. Press was also closely
involved in the construction of a lunar seismograph, first deployed by
the Apollo 11
astronauts (see Lunar seismology
).
In 1965, Press moved to MIT as department head of Earth and Planetary Sciences,
where, with significant support from philanthropist Cecil H. Green
,
he revitalized by new hires what had been an overly traditional
geology department. He remained at MIT until 1976. During this time, his
work included collaborations with Vladimir Keilis-Borok
and Leon Knopoff
on computer pattern matching techniques that could be applied to earthquake
prediction.
In 1976, Press became science advisor to President Jimmy Carter
and director of
the Office of Science and Technology Policy
. In 1981 he was elected
president of the U.S. National
Academy of Sciences
. Re-elected in 1987, he served for a total of 12 years.
In 1996, Press co-founded the Washington Advisory Group (later renamed as
the Advisory Group at Huron), which played a notable role all phases of the
founding of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
in Thuwal,
Saudi Arabia. Press chaired that university's international advisory committee
until 2010.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
geophysicist
Geophysics
Geophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...
.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Press was science advisor to President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
from
1976 to 1980,
and president of the U.S. National
Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
from 1981 to 1993. He is the recipient of 30 honorary degrees.
Named in his honor are Mount Press
Mount Press
Mount Press is a peak rising to 3,760 m in the north-central Sentinel Range in Ellsworth Mountains, Antarctica. It is linked to Eyer Peak by Zvegor Saddle, and surmounts Embree Glacier to the north and Ellen Glacier to the southeast...
, in the Ellsworth Mountains
Ellsworth Mountains
The Ellsworth Mountains are the highest mountain ranges in Antarctica, forming a long and wide chain of mountains in a north to south configuration on the western margin of the Ronne Ice Shelf. They are bisected by Minnesota Glacier to form the northern Sentinel Range and the southern Heritage...
, Antarctica;
and Osedax frankpressi
Osedax
Osedax is a genus of deep-sea siboglinid polychaetes, commonly called boneworms, zombie worms, or bone-eating worms, or bone-eating snot flowers...
, a species of whalebone-eating marine worm.
Press graduated with a B.S. degree from the City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
(1944) and
completed his M.A. (1946) and Ph.D. (1949) degrees at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
under Maurice "Doc" Ewing
Maurice Ewing
William Maurice "Doc" Ewing was an American geophysicist and oceanographer.Ewing has been described as a pioneering geophysicist who worked on the research of seismic reflection and refraction in ocean basins, ocean bottom photography, submarine sound transmission , deep sea coring of the ocean...
. As one of Ewing's two assistant professors,
(with J. Lamar "Joe" Worzel
J. Lamar Worzel
J. Lamar Worzel , American geophysicist known for his important contributions to underwater acoustics, underwater photography, and gravity measurements at sea.-Life:...
as the other) Press
was a founder of Lamont Geological Observatory (now Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
The Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory is a research unit of Columbia University located on a campus in Palisades, N.Y., north of Manhattan on the Hudson River.- History :...
)
in Palisades, N.Y. Originally trained as an oceanographer, Press participated in
research cruises on the sailing vessels RV Vema
RV Vema
The research vessel Vema was a three-masted schooner of the Lamont Geological Observatory , a research unit of Columbia University. The . vessel, with her almost indestructible Swedish steel hull, became renowned as one of the world’s most productive oceanographic research vessels...
and RV Atlantis
RV Atlantis
RV Atlantis is a sailboat that served as the first and also the main research vessel for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution from 1931 to 1964. Several ships, including RV Atlantis and the Space Shuttle Atlantis were named after Atlantis...
.
In the early 1950s, Press turned to seismology, co-authoring with Ewing (who
contributed only slightly) and Jardetzky a seminal monograph on elastic waves in
layered media. In 1957, Press was recruited by Caltech
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
to succeed founder Beno Gutenberg
Beno Gutenberg
Beno Gutenberg was a German-American seismologist who made several important contributions to the science...
as director of the Seismological Laboratory
Caltech Seismological Laboratory
The Caltech Seismological Laboratory is an arm of the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences of the California Institute of Technology. Known as the Seismo Lab, it has been a world center for seismology research since the 1920s, and was for many decades a go-to source for rapid commentary...
, a position in which he remained until 1965. The appointment was
controversial in that it passed over both Hugo Benioff
Hugo Benioff
Victor Hugo Benioff was an American seismologist and a professor at the California Institute of Technology. He is best remembered for his work in charting the location of deep earthquakes in the Pacific Ocean....
and Charles Richter, then the laboratory's senior professors, for a much younger outsider.
Press' accomplishments in this
period include the design of a long-period seismograph, and
the first detection of the Earth's normal modes of oscillation ("bell ringing"),
excited by the Great Chilean Earthquake, a pioneering
application of digital processing to seismic recordings. Press was also closely
involved in the construction of a lunar seismograph, first deployed by
the Apollo 11
Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
astronauts (see Lunar seismology
Lunar seismology
Seismographic data from the Moon has been and is planned to be used by scientists, engineers, and artists, for a variety of purposes, such as the following:*Learning more about Moon and Earth evolution....
).
In 1965, Press moved to MIT as department head of Earth and Planetary Sciences,
where, with significant support from philanthropist Cecil H. Green
Cecil Howard Green
Cecil Howard Green was a British-born American geophysicist who trained at the University of British Columbia and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology....
,
he revitalized by new hires what had been an overly traditional
geology department. He remained at MIT until 1976. During this time, his
work included collaborations with Vladimir Keilis-Borok
Vladimir Keilis-Borok
Vladimir Keilis-Borok was born in Moscow, Russia on July 31, 1921. He is a mathematical geophysicist.- Biography :In 1948, he received a Ph.D. in mathematical geophysics from the Academy of Sciences in Moscow. He was the founder, and is the Director Emeritus, of the International Institute of...
and Leon Knopoff
Leon Knopoff
Leon Knopoff was a geophysicist and musicologist. He received his education at Caltech, graduating in 1949 with a PhD in physics, and after holding several academic positions, moved to UCLA...
on computer pattern matching techniques that could be applied to earthquake
prediction.
In 1976, Press became science advisor to President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
and director of
the Office of Science and Technology Policy
Office of Science and Technology Policy
The Office of Science and Technology Policy is an office in the Executive Office of the President , established by Congress on May 11, 1976, with a broad mandate to advise the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs.The director of this office is...
. In 1981 he was elected
president of the U.S. National
Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
. Re-elected in 1987, he served for a total of 12 years.
In 1996, Press co-founded the Washington Advisory Group (later renamed as
the Advisory Group at Huron), which played a notable role all phases of the
founding of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology is a public research university located in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.KAUST was founded in 2009 and focuses exclusively on graduate education and research, using English as the official language of instruction...
in Thuwal,
Saudi Arabia. Press chaired that university's international advisory committee
until 2010.
Notable accomplishments
- President of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (1981-1993)
- Chairman of the National Research CouncilUnited States National Research CouncilThe National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
(1981-1993) - Science Advisor to the President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, Office of Science and Technology PolicyOffice of Science and Technology PolicyThe Office of Science and Technology Policy is an office in the Executive Office of the President , established by Congress on May 11, 1976, with a broad mandate to advise the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs.The director of this office is...
(1977-1980) - Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy (1977-1980)
- Professor of GeophysicsGeophysicsGeophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...
at Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyThe Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
and Chairman of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences - Professor of Geophysics at California Institute of TechnologyCalifornia Institute of TechnologyThe California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
and Director of the Caltech Seismological Laboratory - Life Member of the Corporation of MITMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyThe Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
- Board member of the Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionWoods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionThe Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of all aspects of marine science and engineering and to the education of marine researchers. Established in 1930, it is the largest independent oceanographic research...
(WHOI), the Marine Biological LaboratoryMarine Biological LaboratoryThe Marine Biological Laboratory is an international center for research and education in biology, biomedicine and ecology. Founded in 1888, the MBL is the oldest independent marine laboratory in the Americas, taking advantage of a coastal setting in the Cape Cod village of Woods Hole, Massachusetts...
, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research InstituteMonterey Bay Aquarium Research InstituteThe Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute is a not-for-profit oceanographic research center in Moss Landing, California affiliated with the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It was founded in 1987 by David Packard of Hewlett-Packard fame... - Member of the advisory council of CRDF Global
Awards
- U.S. National Medal of ScienceNational Medal of ScienceThe National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and...
- Vannevar Bush AwardVannevar Bush AwardThe National Science Board established the Vannevar Bush Award in 1980 to honor Dr. Vannevar Bush's unique contributions to public service. His name is pronounced ....
- Gold Medal Royal Astronomical Society 1971
- Pupin Medal from Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
- Japan PrizeJapan Prizeis awarded to people from all parts of the world whose "original and outstanding achievements in science and technology are recognized as having advanced the frontiers of knowledge and served the cause of peace and prosperity for mankind."- Explanation :...
from the Emperor of JapanEmperor of JapanThe Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
(1993) - Lomonosov Gold Medal Russian Academy of Science, 1997
- Officier Legion d'Honeur France
- Pick and Gavel Award from the Association of American State GeologistsAssociation of American State GeologistsThe Association of American State Geologists is an organization of the chief executives of the state geological surveys in 50 states and Puerto Rico. The responsibilities of the various state surveys differ from state to state, depending upon the enabling legislation and the traditions under which...
, 2007
Publications
- Understanding earth (ISBN 0716735040) by Press, Frank., Siever, Raymond. W.H. Freeman, c2001
- "The role of geoscientists in providing credible advice to government officials" Press, Frank. Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America, vol.30, no.7, pp.247, 1998
- "Growing up in the Golden Age of Science" Press, Frank. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, vol.23, pp.1-9, 1995
- "Patterns of seismic release in the Southern California region" Press, Frank; Allen, Clarence. Journal of Geophysical Research, vol. 100, no. B4, pp.6421-6430, 10 Apr 1995
- "Needed: Coherent budgeting for science and technology" Press, F. (1995) Science 270 (5241), pp. 1448-1450
- "The restructuring of science in research universities in the post-industrial society" Press, Frank. Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America, vol.26, no.7, pp.154, 1994
- "Geoscience education as viewed from the National Academy of Sciences" Press, Frank. Journal of Geological Education, vol.39, no.2, pp.98-100, Mar 1991
- "Science and the public welfare" Press, Frank. Earthquakes and Volcanoes, vol.22, no.3, pp.93, 1991
- "Role of education in technological competitiveness" Press, Frank (1990) Siemens review 57 (2), pp. 4
- "An international decade for natural disaster reduction" Press, Frank. USGS Open-File Report No. 88-0361, pp.53-61, 1988
- Earth (ISBN 0716717433) by Press, Frank., Siever, Raymond. W.H. Freeman, c1986.
- "Science and creationism" Press, Frank. Geotimes, vol.29, no.5, pp.9, May 1984
- "Science and technology in the White House, 1977 to 1980; Part 2" Press, Frank. Science, vol.211, no.4479, pp.249-256, 16 Jan 1981
- "Science and technology in the White House, 1977 to 1980; Part 1" Press, Frank. Science, vol.211, no.4478, pp.139-145, 09 Jan 1980
- "Earthquake Prediction" Press, Frank. Scientific American, vol.232, no.5, pp.14-23, 1975
- "Structure of the Earth and Moon: A Comparison" Press, Frank. Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical UnionAmerican Geophysical UnionThe American Geophysical Union is a nonprofit organization of geophysicists, consisting of over 50,000 members from over 135 countries. AGU's activities are focused on the organization and dissemination of scientific information in the interdisciplinary and international field of geophysics...
, vol.55, no.4, pp.323, 1974 - "The Earth and the Moon" Press, Frank. Transactions of the New York Academy of SciencesNew York Academy of SciencesThe New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
, vol.34, no.8, pp.732, 1972 - "Probing the earth with nuclear explosions" by Griggs, D. T., Press, Frank., Rand Corporation. (1959) Issued by the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory as UCRL-6013.