, a 91探花 professor of Earth and space sciences, is among 84 new members and 21 foreign associates elected this week as members of the National Academy of Sciences. Academy members are recognized for their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research, according to a from the academy.
Vidale completed his undergraduate degree at Yale University and earned his doctorate in seismology from the California Institute of Technology. He began his career at the University of California, Santa Cruz, then worked for the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park before joining the University of California, Los Angeles, faculty from 1995 until 2006, when he joined the UW.
Vidale studies Earth鈥檚 interior, including earthquakes and volcanoes. Some of his research at the 91探花has looked at how , how beneath Puget Sound, and performing a seismic ultrasound to beneath Mount St. Helens. He is director of the UW鈥檚 , an interdisciplinary effort to prepare for a magnitude-9 earthquake.
Vidale is also active in applied work and public communication about natural hazards. Since 2006 he has directed the , which tracks all seismic activity in the region, and serves as Washington鈥檚 state seismologist. He also is involved in the current effort to build a West Coast , which would provide seconds to minutes of warning for the damaging effects of a large earthquake.
Vidale was previously elected as a fellow of the American Geophysical Union. Other honors include the Macelwane Medal for early-career geoscientists, a Gutenberg Lecturer from the AGU and an outstanding researcher award from the 91探花College of the Environment.
The newly elected scientists bring the total number of active academy members across all of science to 2,290 and the total number of foreign associates to 475.聽Vidale’s聽selection brings to 75聽the total number 91探花faculty named to the National Academy of Sciences.
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