UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The American Geophysical Union (AGU) has selected two faculty members in Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences to receive awards recognizing their research contributions: Jose D. Fuentesprofessor of meteorology and atmospheric science, and Tushar Mittalthe Wilson Faculty Fellow of geosciences.
Fuentes will receive the Carl Sagan Lecturewhich honors the late American astronomer and science communicator by recognizing a scientist who embodies Sagan’s passion for research and effective science communication. Mittal will receive the Hisashi Kuno Awardhonoring the late Japanese petrologist and volcanologist of the mid-20th century, which recognizes an early career scientist for outstanding contributions to understanding how volcanic systems work.
Fuentes was selected for his research on climate and regional environmental change, with particular attention to his work on regions experiencing climate-related changes, such as the Arctic and the Amazon rainforest. He will present the lecture, “The Changing Arctic: Convection, Mixed-Phase Clouds, and Atmospheric Chemistry,” during AGU’s annual meeting on Dec. 7.
“Like Carl Sagan, Dr. Fuentes is revered for both his technical expertise and his ability to communicate challenging scientific concepts in a manner accessible for the general public,” said John Maurointerim John Leone Dean in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and Dorothy Pate Enright Professor of Materials Science and Engineering. “I am very pleased to see Dr. Fuentes recognized for his outstanding contributions to atmospheric science and his outreach to the broader community.”
During his 17 years at Penn State, Fuentes has received numerous honors from professional societies for his research and service. In 2023, he was elected a Fellow of AGU and received the union’s Ambassador Award. In 2020, he received AGU’s Presidential Citationan award for researchers who connect science to the broader public, as part of the team that launched the anti-racism initiative “No Time for Silence.” He previously received the American Meteorological Society’s Charles E. Anderson Award for outstanding contributions to promoting diversity in science through education and community service.
Fuentes’ leadership extends to national advisory roles and university initiatives. He has served as a co-chair of an external advisory committee tasked with assessing and shaping the future of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. At Penn State, he recently led the Social Justice Research Council within the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research and previously directed the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program in climate science.
In receiving the Kuno Award, Mittal will be honored for his work on the detection and understanding of volcanism, which he has pursued at Penn State over the last four years. Specifically, Mittal’s group follows volcanic systems from source to surface to climate, analyzing things like magma generation, submarine eruptions and environmental connections through physical modeling and machine-learning approaches to rock deformation.
In January, Mittal will join Purdue University as an associate professor of geosciences.
“Congratulations to Dr. Mittal, who received this honor from AGU that marks his research achievements in volcanology and geochemistry while he was a member of our faculty at Penn State,” Mauro said. “We celebrate his accomplishments and wish him continued success as he brings his expertise to Purdue.”
Previously, Mittal was named a 2024 Packard Fellow by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, which awarded him $875,000 over five years to pursue his research. He also was named a Scialog Fellow in Sustainable Minerals, Metals and Materials from 2024 to 2027, a fellowship that facilitates connections among 50 early-career scientists.
Fuentes and Mittal will be honored at AGU’s annual meetingwhich will be held from Dec. 7 to 11 in San Francisco.
Source: www.psu.edu
