Accolades for Two Former Scripps Directors

Former Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego directors Charles Kennel and Tony Haymet have been granted prestigious awards that recognize past and current achievements in their fields of work.

Charles Kennel received the Dickson Award from the UC San Diego Emeriti Association for his lasting engagement with the UC San Diego community after his retirement. Kennel served as director of Scripps from 1998 to 2006, where he was also a professor of atmospheric science.

The Dickson award was created to support exceptional emeriti like Kennel for their continued service, which in Kennel’s case includes, but is not limited to, his efforts to increase global investment in understanding climate change through speaking to the public about both the progress of the field and his own research, his contributions to the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) titled “Climate Change in Four Dimensions,” and the research that stems from his desire to promote environmental conservation. He served as founding director and is now chairman of the International Advisory Board of the Environment and Sustainability Initiative (ESI), and is a member of the Sustainability Solutions Institute at UC San Diego. He is also chair of the Board of the California Council of Science and Technology.

Tony Haymet was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE). Haymet served as director of Scripps Oceanography from 2006 through 2012, where he was also a professor of oceanography and worked to initiate climate science collaborations globally. In addition, he co-founded CleanTech San Diego, and subsequently with his business partners bought ocean robot company MRV Systems LLC, a spinoff from Scripps, in 2010.

ATSE is a prestigious society focused on “enhancing Australia’s prosperity through technological innovation” partly by bringing scientists and engineers together to exchange ideas, discuss contentious topics in the field, and advise policy makers, all with the intention of improving people’s lives. ATSE invests in STEM education, water sustainability, and low carbon emission projects. Haymet is one of just 25 new elected fellows from around the globe. Before his time at UC San Diego, Haymet served as science and policy director and former chief of marine and atmospheric science at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), the national science agency of Australia.

– Samantha H. Jones is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Biomedical Sciences program at UC San Diego.