The American Geophysical Union (AGU) today announced that John Orcutt, a distinguished professor of Geophysics at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and former president of AGU, will serve as the inaugural editor of its newest open access, peer-reviewed journal, Earth and Space Science. The journal will begin accepting papers in late summer 2014, and the first articles will be available in late fall 2014.
Earth Space and Science reflects the expansive range of science AGU represents, including all of the Earth, planetary, and space sciences, as well as related fields in environmental science, geoengineering, space engineering, and biogeochemistry. It will also include papers describing and presenting data, observations, instrumentation and methods that are important for advancing these fields. In addition to direct submissions, it will accept, via referral from other journals, articles that meet AGU’s high standards of excellence, but that do not fit the unique criteria of those journals.
“Earth and Space Science is unique in the breadth of science it represents and its goal to contribute to a broader scientific understanding of the Earth and its environment, as well as our solar system and beyond. To make such an ambitious effort successful, we knew that we needed the guidance of a skilled and innovative editor who could help bring forth, peer-reviewed science and data that are important for societal decision making at all scales,” said AGU President Carol Finn. “I’m pleased to say that John Orcutt’s background makes him perfect for tackling this assignment, and I am happy to welcome him into AGU’s editorial community. Under his leadership I am sure that Earth and Space Science will quickly join the ranks of AGU’s other award-winning journals.”
Orcutt has published more than 175 scientific papers and book chapters. His research interests include the exploitation of information technology for the collection and processing of real-time environmental data, as well as seismology in the oceans and on land and marine geophysics. He is the principal investigator for the National Science Foundation’s MRE-FC Ocean Observatories Initiative Cyberinfrastructure program, and a participant in the National Research Council’s (NRC) study entitled Fukushima, Lessons Learned. Orcutt recently completed a review of hydroacoustics monitoring by the United Nation’s Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in the Indian Ocean, and he chaired the NRC’s reviews of Ocean Exploration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Tsunami Warning System, and the Ocean Panel of the Climate, Energy and National Security Committee.
"For many years the Earth and space science community has lacked a space for publishing work on models, data from experiments and observatories, observational methodologies, instrumentation, and the complexities of integrating technologies for stable and long-term observations related to critical issues including climate and hazards. This has presented a significant barrier to scientific progress,” said Orcutt. “Earth and Space Science will offer a timely and reputable solution to this dilemma, and as an open access journal, it will ensure that high-quality research is shared as widely as possible. It is only fitting that AGU, as the leading society for Earth and space science, is the home for this innovative and exciting new journal...and I am honored to be a part of its inception."
A recipient of the U.S. Navy/AGU’s Ewing Medal, the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Newcomb-Cleveland Prize, and the Marine Technology Society’s LockheedMartin Award for Ocean Science and Technology, Orcutt received a Secretary of the Navy/Chief of Naval Operations Chair in 1996. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a member of the American Philosophical Society and a Fellow and Past President of AGU. Orcutt received his bachelor’s in mathematics and physics from U.S. Naval Academy, his master’s in physical chemistry as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Liverpool, and his Ph.D. in Earth sciences from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography/University of California, San Diego.
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