Call for Papers:  "Benjamin Franklin, Geophysicist: A Tercentenary Update"

HGC sponsored a special session at the AGU Fall 2006 Meeting to recognize the 300th anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Franklin, the "first American geophysicist."   Papers were invited in all areas of geophysics in which Franklin made fundamental discoveries including lightning, atmospheric electricity, physical and dynamical meteorology, physical oceanography, and climate science. We also solicited papers that describe contemporary investigations that build on Franklin’s contributions in any area of geophysics. Conveners were Ron Doel (doelr@geo.oregonstate.edu), Phil Krider (krider@atmo.arizona.edu) , and Maribeth Stolzenburg (mstolzen@olemiss.edu).  The session was co-sponsored by the Atmospheric Sciences, Ocean Sciences, and Atmospheric and Space Electricity sections.  Deadline for receipt of abstracts was September 7, 2006.  Online submission was at http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm06/.

Franklin Tercentary

The 300th anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Franklin (1706-2006)  was commemorated with exhibitions, lectures, and special events nationwide.  Activites are coordinated by the Franklin Tercentenary Commission -- a consortium of the American Philosophical Society, The Franklin Institute, the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the University of Pennsylvania.  A lecture series named in Franklin's honor was instituted by the Atmospheric and Space Electricity Focus Group of AGU in 2004.