Franklin Lecture
The Benjamin Franklin Lecture honors the life and work of scientist Benjamin Franklin. In addition to being one of the founding fathers of the United States, Franklin is internationally known for his discoveries and theories regarding atmospheric electricity and lightning.
The Atmospheric and Space Electricity (ASE) section has established the Benjamin Franklin Lecture to recognize outstanding scientists in any field of ASE. Lecturers are recognized for highly accomplished and interdisciplinary work toward the advancement and promotion of discovery. The lecture itself is intended to give a broad historical overview of a selected ASE topic that will be of interest to an interdisciplinary audience.
The award includes a certificate, announcement in Eos and other AGU media, an invitation to present a talk at the AGU Fall Meeting, and recognition at the Fall Meeting. The award is presented bi-annually, currently in odd-numbered years.
Nomination Process and Requirements
Franklin lecturers are selected based on nomination by members of the ASE or AGU communities or the general public. A nomination is in the form of a letter of recommendation from the nominator (a simple email is fine) stating why the candidate is well suited to give the Franklin Lecture. Nominees should be engaging speakers with a broad and deep perspective on a subfield of atmospheric and space electricity, as well as being someone who has themselves made influential discoveries in one or more subfields. The nominating letter should address all of these considerations. Any evidence of how the nominee has contributed to the advancement of discovery for the benefit of humanity, or prior experience in outreach and public engagement, should also be included.
Multiple nominators for a candidate are allowed; however, it is often suggested that they collaborate so as to submit a more robust package for the nominee.
Nominations for the Franklin Lecture should be submitted to the Franklin Committee chair, Atmospheric and Space Electricity Section President-Elect, Sonja Behnke.
The Franklin Lecturer is chosen from among the nominees by a committee charged with the broad evaluation of the candidates, including but not limited to the nomination packages. Committee members are not eligible to submit nominations.