Harold C. Urey Prize in Planetary Science

This prize is awarded annually (or less frequently) by the Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) of the American Astronomical Society.

  • The Harold C. Urey Prize (hereafter referred to as the Urey Prize), was established by the DPS to recognize and encourage outstanding achievements in planetary science by a young scientist.
  • For purposes of this prize, planetary science shall be understood to refer to the multidisciplinary study of the solar system and its members, excluding work dealing primarily with the Sun or the Earth.
  • Candidates for the Urey Prize must not have reached their 37th birthday OR have held a recognized doctorate for no more than 6 years (whichever is later) at the end of the calendar year of the award. Candidates may be of any nationality, and need not be members of the DPS. While primarily intended to honor living scientists, a posthumous nomination may be submitted within one year of a nominee's death.
  • The recipient of the Urey Prize will be selected by the DPS Committee using such procedures as it may adopt. The Committee has the sole authority to select winners, as well as the option not to award the Urey Prize in any year, at its discretion.
  • The Urey Prize will consist of a certificate and a citation, accompanied (except for a posthumous recipient) by a cash award, in an amount to be determined by the DPS Committee. Under special circumstances, travel expenses in association with the presentation of the prize and/or lecture may also be supportable. In the case of a posthumous recipient, there generally will be no cash award, but reasonable travel expenses will be offered for an appropriate survivor to attend the DPS meeting and receive the prize certificate and citation.
  • The recipient of the Urey Prize, if able, will be invited to present a lecture on a subject of his or her choosing. This lecture will normally be given at a DPS meeting, but an alternate venue may be arranged by the recipient and the DPS Committee. The recipient will also be invited to publish a written version of the Urey Prize lecture in Icarus.
Urey Prize Winners
1984 D. J.Stevenson
1985 L. W.Esposito
1986 J. L.Wisdom
1987 S. W.Squyres
1988 J. I.Lunine
1989 C. P.McKay
1990 D. J.Tholen
1991 R. P.Binzel
1992 J. J.Lissauer
1993 R.Yelle
1994 K. J.Meech
1995 E.Lellouch
1996 H. B.Hammel
1997 R.Malhotra
1998 E. I.Asphaug
1999 D. P.Hamilton
2000 A.Morbidelli
2001 M.Brown
2002 B. J.Gladman
2003 R. M.Canup
2004 J.-L.Margot
2005 D.Nesvorny
2006 T.Guillot
2007 F.Nimmo
2008 (no award)

All DPS members are encouraged to submit nominations for the Urey Prize.

Fall DPS 2008

The 40th Annual meeting will be in Ithaca, NY, October 10-15, 2008.

Reaching out to Congress