Prize Recipient

Robert A. Frosch
Harvard University

Citation:

"For original research in marine geophysics, exceptional leadership and innovative management of the General Motors Research Laboratory, and sustained contributions to national science policy."

Background:

Robert A. Frosch received an AB from Columbia College in 1947, and a PhD (Theoretical Physics, 1952) from Columbia University. Beginning in 1951, he did research on long range underwater acoustics at Hudson Laboratories (Columbia University), later becoming Director of the Laboratories.

He was later Director for Nuclear Test Detection, and then Deputy Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA: Department of Defense), Assistant Secretary of the Navy for R&D, Assistant Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Associate Director for Applied Oceanography at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Administrator of NASA, and President of the American Association of Engineering Societies.

In 1982 he became Vice President of the General Motors Corporation in charge of Research Laboratories, retiring in 1993.

He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), the UK Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE), and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the APS, ASA, AAAS, and the IEEE, and a member of AGU, SSA, SEG, and IS4IE.

Dr. Frosch has been awarded the Bueche Medal (NAE), the Founders Medal (IEEE), the Industrial Research Institute (IRI) Medal, and the International Society for Industrial Ecology (IS4IE) Medal.

Selection Committee:

Mark Lee, Chair, P.M. Mooney, D.J. Bishop, L.M. Schwartz, G.P. Meisner