Dr. Frank Press (born December 4, 1924) is an American geophysicist.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Press is the recipient of 30 honorary degrees. He graduated with his B.S. degree from the City College of New York (1944). Went on to complete his M.A. (1946) and Ph.D. (1949) degrees from Columbia University.

Notable Accomplishments

• President of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (1981-93)
• Chairman of the National Research Council (1981-93)
• Science Advisor to the President of the United States (1977-1980)
• Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy (1977-80)
• Professor of Geophysics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Chairman of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
• Professor of Geophysics at California Institute of Technology and Director of the Caltech Seismological Laboratory
• Life Member of the Corporation of MIT
• Board member of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the Marine Biological Laboratory, and the Monterey Bay Research Institute

Awards

• U.S. National Medal of Sciences
• Vannevar Bush Award
• Pupin Medal from Columbia University
• Japan Prize from the Japan Emperor (1993)
• Lomonosov Gold Medal, 1997

Enternal Links:

• Society of Exploration Geophysicists: Biographies - Dr. Frank Press