The Eugene M. Shoemaker Award for Lifetime Achievement in Communications is presented annually to a scientist who creates excitement and enthusiasm for science among non-scientists by using effective communication skills. Each year, a broad-based committee that includes past Lifetime Achievement award recipients reviews the nominees and selects the winner. Denis LeBlanc, research hydrologist at the New England Water Science Center, and David Wald, a seismologist at the Geologic Hazards Science Center, have both been selected as recipients of the 2020 Shoemaker Award for Lifetime Achievement in Communications.  

 

David Wald 

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In his more than 27 years with the USGS, David Wald has demonstrated an unparalleled capacity for both generating science critical to the rapid characterization and understanding of recent earthquakes, and for translating that information into forms digestible by a wide variety of audiences. The earthquake products that David and his colleagues created have revolutionized the ways in which we respond to earthquakes and communicate information in a post-earthquake environment. David customized these products to meet the needs of contrasting user groups, ensuring that they are intuitive to use, can be quickly digested by their intended audience, and can be repurposed into downstream media usage. Consequently, David’s suite of real-time products are now routinely used to describe recent earthquakes by major news outlets like CNBC, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.  

 

David has excellent communication skills and is a vocal advocate for the importance of data sharing for the advancement of science, giving over 100 talks to academic, civil, museum, and public audiences. David has mentored many students and post-docs who have themselves gone on to impactful positions in their fields, and he continues to energetically engage with scientists and non-scientists alike, both domestically and internationally, to promote understanding of earthquake hazard, impact, and risk reduction. His achievements are recognized through a variety of major awards throughout his career, including a 1997 USGS Special Act Service Award for Outreach; in 2000, the Southern California Emergency Services Association’s Diamond Award; the 2004 Distinguished Lecturer for the Seismological Society of America (SSA) and the Incorporated Institutions for Seismology; the 2015 Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Distinguished Lecturer; a USGS Exceptional Service Award in 2008; a DOI Superior Service Award in 2010 and again in 2014; and a DOI Meritorious Service Award in 2016.  

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The USGS and the Nation have profoundly benefited from David and Denis’ lifelong commitment to science and their unparalleled ability to effectively communicate to a range of audiences, reinforcing the relevance and importance of USGS science for years to come.