Frank Press (December 4, 1924 – January 29, 2020) was an American

geophysicist Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' som ...

. He was an advisor to four U.S. presidents, and later served two consecutive terms as president of the U.S.

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nat ...

(1981–1993). He was the author of 160 scientific papers and co-author of the textbooks ''Earth'' and ''Understanding Earth''. Press served on the

President's Science Advisory Committee The President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC) was created on November 21, 1957, by President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower, as a direct response to the Soviet launching of the Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2 satellites. PSAC was an upgrad ...

during the Kennedy and

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

administrations, and was appointed by President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

to the

National Science Board The National Science Board (NSB) of the United States establishes the policies of the National Science Foundation (NSF) within the framework of applicable national policies set forth by the President and the Congress. The NSB also serves as an ind ...

. In 1977 he was appointed President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

's Science Advisor and Director of the

Office of Science and Technology Policy An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific d ...

, serving until 1981.

Early life and career

Born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, Press graduated with a B.S. degree from the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

(1944) and completed his M.A. (1946) and Ph.D. (1949) degrees at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

under Maurice "Doc" Ewing. As one of Ewing's two assistant professors, (with J. Lamar "Joe" Worzel as the other) Press was a co-founder of Lamont Geological Observatory (now

Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory The Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) is the scientific research center of the Columbia Climate School, and a unit of The Earth Institute at Columbia University. It focuses on climate and earth sciences and is located on a 189-acre ( ...

) in Palisades, N.Y. Originally trained as an

oceanographer Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamic ...

, Press participated in research cruises on the sailing vessels

RV Vema The SV ''Mandalay'' is a three-masted schooner measuring pp, with a wrought iron hull. It was built as the private yacht ''Hussar (IV)'', and would later become the research vessel ''Vema'', one of the world's most productive oceanographic resea ...

and

RV Atlantis PNA ''Dr. Bernardo A. Houssay'' (MOV-1) is a ketch rigged sail training and research vessel for the Argentine Naval Prefecture. Originally named the RV ''Atlantis'', she served as the first and main research vessel for the Woods Hole Oceanographi ...

. In the early 1950s, Press turned to

seismology Seismology (; from Ancient Greek σεισμός (''seismós'') meaning "earthquake" and -λογία (''-logía'') meaning "study of") is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other ...

, co-authoring with Ewing and Jardetzky a seminal monograph on elastic waves in layered media. In 1957, Press was recruited by

Caltech The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

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 Victor Hugo Benioff (September 14, 1899 – February 29, 1968) 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 ...

and

Charles Richter Charles Francis Richter (; April 26, 1900 – September 30, 1985) was an American seismologist and physicist. Richter is most famous as the creator of the Richter magnitude scale, which, until the development of the moment magnitude scale in 19 ...

, then the laboratory's senior professors, for a much younger outsider. Press' accomplishments in this period include the design of a long-period

seismograph A seismometer is an instrument that responds to ground noises and shaking such as caused by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and explosions. They are usually combined with a timing device and a recording device to form a seismograph. The outpu ...

, and the first detection of the Earth's normal modes of

oscillation Oscillation is the repetitive or periodic variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of equilibrium) or between two or more different states. Familiar examples of oscillation include a swinging pendul ...

("bell ringing"), excited by the

Great Chilean earthquake The 1960 Valdivia earthquake and tsunami ( es, link=no, Terremoto de Valdivia) or the Great Chilean earthquake (''Gran terremoto de Chile'') on 22 May 1960 was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. Various studies have placed it at 9.4– ...

, 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 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module ''Eagle'' on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, ...

astronauts (see

Lunar seismology Lunar seismology is the study of ground motions of the Moon and the events, typically impacts or moonquakes, that excite them. History Several seismographic measuring systems have already been installed on the Moon and their data made availabl ...

Later career

Vladimir Kirillin and Frank Press signing the United States and USSR agreement

In 1965, Press moved to

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

as department head of Earth and Planetary Sciences, where, with significant support from philanthropist

Cecil H. Green Cecil Howard Green (August 6, 1900 – April 11, 2003) was a British-born American geophysicist, electrical engineer, and electronics manufacturing executive, who trained at the University of British Columbia and the Massachusetts Institute of T ...

, he revitalized what had been an overly traditional geology department by hiring new faculty members. He remained at MIT until 1976, and during this time, his work included collaborations with

Vladimir Keilis-Borok Vladimir Isaacovich Keilis-Borok (July 31, 1921 – October 19, 2013) was a Russian mathematical geophysicist and seismologist. Biography Keilis-Borok was born in Moscow, Russia. His father, Isaak Moiseevich Keilis, was a jeweler. His mother, ...

and Leon Knopoff on computer pattern matching techniques that could be applied to

earthquake prediction Earthquake prediction is a branch of the science of seismology concerned with the specification of the time, location, and magnitude of future earthquakes within stated limits, and particularly "the determination of parameters for the ''next'' ...

. In 1976, Press became Science Advisor to President

and director of the

. In his capacity, he adressed a memo to the president on fossil fuels and climate change. He played a key role in the formation of the National Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People’s Republic of China. In 1981 he was elected president of the

U.S. National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Natio ...

and was re-elected in 1987, serving for a total of 12 years. In 1996, Press co-founded WAG (the Washington Advisory Group, later known as the Advisory Group at Huron), a global consulting company with clients that included approximately 50 leading universities. WAG played a notable role all phases of the founding of

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST; ar, جامعة الملك عبد الله للعلوم و التقنية ') is a private research university located in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. Founded in 2009, the university provid ...

(KAUST) in Thuwal,

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

. Press chaired that university's international advisory committee until 2010. Press was the recipient of 30 honorary degrees. Named in his honor are Mount Press, which in the

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 in Marie Byrd Land. They are bisected by Minnesota ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

; and ''Osedax frankpressi'', a species of whalebone-eating marine worm.

Personal life

Press died on January 29, 2020, at the age of 95. He was the father of physicist William H. Press.

Notable accomplishments

*President of the

(1981–1993) *Chairman of the National Research Council (1981–1993) * Science Advisor to the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

(1977–1981) *Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy (1977–1981) *Professor of

Geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' so ...

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of th ...

and Chairman of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences *Professor of Geophysics at

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

and Director of the

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 fo ...

*Life Member of the Corporation of

*Board member of the

Rockefeller University The Rockefeller University is a private biomedical research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and provides doctoral and postdoctoral education. It is classif ...

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI, acronym pronounced ) is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of marine science and engineering. Established in 1930 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, i ...

(WHOI), the

Marine Biological Laboratory The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is an international center for research and education in biological and environmental science. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution that was independent ...

, and the

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) is a private, non-profit oceanographic research center in Moss Landing, California. MBARI was founded in 1987 by David Packard, and is primarily funded by the David and Lucile Packard Founda ...

*Member of the advisory council of CRDF Global *Named three times most influential American scientist in annual surveys by '' U.S. News & World Report'' *Member of the United States

*Member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

*Member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

Awards

* U.S. National Medal of Science *

Vannevar Bush Award The National Science Board established the Vannevar Bush Award ( ) in 1980 to honor Vannevar Bush's unique contributions to public service. The annual award recognizes an individual who, through public service activities in science and technolog ...

* Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet ...

(1962) * Gold Medal,

Royal Astronomical Society (Whatever shines should be observed) , predecessor = , successor = , formation = , founder = , extinction = , merger = , merged = , type = NG ...

(1971) * Pupin Medal,

Maurice Ewing Medal Two international geophysical societies offer awards each year which are named in honor of Maurice Ewing; these are the American Geophysical Union and the Society of Exploration Geophysicists: __TOC__ AGU Ewing Medal The Maurice Ewing Medal is awa ...

of the

Society of Exploration Geophysicists The Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) is a learned society dedicated to promoting the science and education of exploration geophysics in particular and geophysics in general. The Society fosters the expert and ethical practice of geophys ...

(1982) *

Japan Prize is 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." The P ...

from the

Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his position is derived from "the ...

(1993) * Lomonosov Gold Medal,

Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; russian: Росси́йская акаде́мия нау́к (РАН) ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across t ...

(1997) *

Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

, France * Pick and Gavel Award, Association of American State Geologists (2007)

Publications

* Press, F. and R. Siever. (2001). ''Understanding Earth''. W.H. Freeman. * Press, F. (1998). The role of geoscientists in providing credible advice to government officials. ''Abstracts with Programs –

Geological Society of America The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. History The society was founded in Ithaca, New York, in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hitch ...

'', 30(7): 247. * Press, F. (1995). Growing up in the Golden Age of Science. ''

Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences ''Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences'' is an annual peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Annual Reviews, which broadly covers Earth and planetary sciences, including geology, atmospheric sciences, climate, geophysics, env ...

'', 23: 1–9. * Press, F. and Allen, C. (1995). Patterns of seismic release in the Southern California region. ''

Journal of Geophysical Research The ''Journal of Geophysical Research'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal. It is the flagship journal of the American Geophysical Union. It contains original research on the physical, chemical, and biological processes that contribute to the un ...

'', 100(B4): 6421–6430. * Press, F. (1995). Needed: Coherent budgeting for science and technology. ''Science,'' 270(5241): 1448-1450. * Press, F. (1994). The restructuring of science in research universities in the post-industrial society. ''Abstracts with Programs – Geological Society of America'', 26(7): 154. * Press, F. (1991). Geoscience education as viewed from the

. ''Journal of Geological Education'', 39(2): 98-100. * Press, F. (1991). Science and the public welfare. ''Earthquakes and Volcanoes'', 22(3): 93. * Press, F. (1990). The role of education in technological competitiveness. ''International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life Long Learning'', 1(4): 311–318. DOI: 10.1504/IJCEELL.1991.030366. * Press, F. (1988). An international decade for natural disaster reduction. USGS Open-File Report No. 88-0361, pp. 53–61. * Press, F. and R. Siever. (1986). ''Earth.'' W.H. Freeman. * Press, F. (1984). Science and creationism. ''Geotimes'', 29(5): 9. * Press, F. (1981). Science and technology in the White House, 1977 to 1980; Part 1. ''Science'', 211(4478): 139–145. * Press, F. (1981). Science and technology in the White House, 1977 to 1980; Part 2. ''Science'', 211(4479): 249–256. * Press, F. (1975.) Earthquake Prediction. ''Scientific American'', 232(5): 14–23. * Press, F. (1974). Structure of the Earth and Moon: A Comparison. ''Eos,'' ''Transactions,

American Geophysical Union The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, atmospheric, ocean, hydrologic, space, and planetary scientists and enthusiasts that according to their website includes 130,000 people (not members). AGU's ...

'', 55(4): 323. * Press, F. (1972). The Earth and the Moon. ''Transactions of the

New York Academy of Sciences The New York Academy of Sciences (originally the Lyceum of Natural History) was founded in January 1817 as the Lyceum of Natural History. It is the fourth oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization wi ...

'', 34(8): 732. * Press, F. and D.T. Griggs. (1959). Probing the earth with nuclear explosions. Rand Corporation. Issued by the

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), commonly referred to as the Berkeley Lab, is a United States national laboratory that is owned by, and conducts scientific research on behalf of, the United States Department of Energy. Located in ...

as UCRL-6013. * Press, F. (1949).
Two applications of normal mode sound propagation in the ocean
',

Ph.D.; via

ProQuest ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...

; oclc: 6364305.

References

* American Institute of Physics
"Frank Press"
Array of Contemporary American Physicists. * Judith R. Goodstein
"A Conversation with Frank Press"
''Physics in Perspective,'' 6: 184–196. (2004). * Caltech Oral Histories
"Interview with Frank Press"
(April 15, 1983). * American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archive

* * SEG Virtual Geoscience Center

* MIT News

(March 17, 1993).

Notes

External links

* McNutt, Marcia
"Frank Press (1924–2020)"
''

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...

'', March 6, 2020. (Vol. 367, Issue 6482, pp. 1077 DOI: 10.1126/science.abb2626) , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Press, Frank 1924 births 2020 deaths American geophysicists American seismologists Columbia University alumni Columbia University faculty Foreign Members of the Royal Society Foreign Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences Foreign Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences Jewish American scientists Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory people Members of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts Members of the French Academy of Sciences Members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences National Medal of Science laureates Office of Science and Technology Policy officials Presidents of the United States National Academy of Sciences Recipients of the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society Scientists from Brooklyn Vannevar Bush Award recipients Members of the American Philosophical Society