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Ralph Cicerone

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Ralph Cicerone
Cicerone speaking at theNAS Buildingin 2013
21st President of theNational Academy of Sciences
In office
2005(2005)– June 30, 2016(2016-06-30)
Preceded byBruce Alberts
Succeeded byMarcia McNutt
4th Chancellor of theUniversity of California, Irvine
In office
1998(1998)–2005(2005)
Preceded byLaurel L. Wilkening
Succeeded byMichael V. Drake
Personal details
Born
Ralph John Cicerone

(1943-05-02)May 2, 1943
New Castle,Pennsylvania,US
DiedNovember 5, 2016(2016-11-05)(aged 73)
Short Hills,New Jersey,US
Alma mater
AwardsAlbert Einstein World Award of Science(2004)
Scientific career
Institutions
ThesisMonte Carlo and Thomson-scatter plasma-line studies of ionospheric photoelectrons(1970)
Doctoral advisorS. A. Bowhill

Ralph John Cicerone(May 2, 1943 – November 5, 2016) was an Americanatmospheric scientistand administrator. From 1998 to 2005, he was the chancellor of theUniversity of California, Irvine.From 2005 to 2016, he was the president of theNational Academy of Sciences(NAS). He was a "renowned authority" onclimate changeandatmospheric chemistry,and issued an early warning about the grave potentialrisks of climate change.[1]

Early life and education

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Cicerone was born inNew Castle,Pennsylvania,on May 2, 1943,[2]to Salvatore and Louise (Palus) Cicerone. His father, an insurance salesman, was the son of Italian immigrants.[3]

Cicerone was the first in his family to attend college.[3]He graduated from theMassachusetts Institute of Technologyin 1965 with a Bachelor of Science degree inelectrical engineering.[4]He was captain of MIT's varsity baseball team.[3][5]After college, he obtained masters and doctoral degrees from theUniversity of Illinois.[2][4][6]

Career

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Cicerone joined theUniversity of Michiganas a research scientist, later holding faculty positions in electrical andcomputer engineeringfrom 1971 to 1978.[3]In 1978 he moved to theScripps Institution of OceanographyatUC San Diegoas a research chemist. He was appointed senior scientist and director of the Atmospheric Chemistry Division at theNational Center for Atmospheric ResearchinBoulder,Colorado,in 1980. He held this position until 1989 when he joined theUniversity of California, Irvine(UCI), as professor ofearth system science(having founded the department)[3]and chaired the Department of Earth System Science from 1989 to 1994, when he became Dean of Physical Sciences.[7]Cicerone was recognized on the citation for the 1995Nobel Prizeinchemistryawarded to colleagueF. Sherwood Rowland.In 1998 he became the fourthChancellorof UCI.[7]Ralph Cicerone held the position of Chancellor of UC Irvine until 2005, when he left to be President of the National Academy of Sciences.[2][4][5]He retired as NAS President in June 2016.[7][8][9]

In 2001, while chancellor of UCI, Cicerone led an academy panel, commissioned byGeorge W. Bush,tasked with reporting to him on climate change. The panel concluded unequivocally that "greenhouse gases are accumulating in Earth's atmosphere as a result of human activities, causing surface air temperatures and subsurface ocean temperatures to rise."[3]

Cicerone was a member of theUSA Science and Engineering Festival's Advisory Board,[10]aForeign Member of the Royal Society,[11]Academia Sinica,[12]theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences,[13]theAmerican Philosophical Society,[14]the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, theRussian Academy of Sciences,theKorean Academy of Science and Technology.[4]He also served as president of the American Geophysical Union, the world's largest society ofearth scientists.[4]

Honors, awards and legacy

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He was the 1999 laureate for theBower Awardand Prize for Achievement in Science.[4]TheAmerican Geophysical Unionawarded him its James B. Macelwane Award in 1979 for outstanding contributions to geophysics by a young scientists and later in 2002 itsRoger Revelle Medalfor outstanding research contributions to the understanding of Earth's atmospheric processes,biogeochemical cycles,and other key elements of the climate system.[4]TheWorld Cultural Councilhonored him with theAlbert Einstein World Award of Sciencein 2004.[15]

Cicerone revived the baseball program at UC Irvine in 2002, while he was its chancellor.[16]Thebaseball fieldat UC Irvine'sAnteater Ballparkwas named after Cicerone in 2009.[17]

Ralph Cicerone and his wife Carol Ciceroneendoweda graduatefellowshipat UCI in 2009.[16]

Personal life

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Cicerone was married to Carol M. (Ogata) Cicerone[3](a professor ofcognitive sciencesat the UCI during the Cicerone's time at the university)[18]and had a daughter and two grandchildren.[1][19]

He was an avid baseball fan[17]who played varsity baseball during college atMIT.[19]

Cicerone died unexpectedly[1]at his home in theShort Hillssection ofMillburn, New Jerseyon November 5, 2016.[5][7][19]

References

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  1. ^abcMcMillan, Janet (November 5, 2016)."Ex-Sciences Academy President Ralph J. Cicerone Dies at 73".The New York Times.Short Hills, New Jersey. Associated Press.RetrievedNovember 7,2016.
  2. ^abc"Chancellors: Ralph J. Cicerone (1998–2005)".Anteater Chronicles; lib.uci.edu.University of California, Irvine.Retrieved2016-05-12.
  3. ^abcdefgRoberts, Sam (November 7, 2016)."Ralph Cicerone, Scientist Who Sounded Climate Change Alarm, Dies at 73".The New York Times.RetrievedNovember 7,2016– via nytimes.com.
  4. ^abcdefg"Member Directory: Ralph J. Cicerone".NASOnline.org.National Academy of Sciences. Archived fromthe originalon April 14, 2016.RetrievedNovember 7,2016.
  5. ^abcRevkin, Andrew C. (November 5, 2016)."Gone Too Soon – Ralph Cicerone, a Quiet Force for Scientific Progress in a Divisive Climate".The New York Times.RetrievedNovember 7,2016.
  6. ^Cicerone, Ralph John (1970).Monte Carlo and Thomson-scatter plasma-line studies of ionospheric photoelectrons(Ph.D.).University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.OCLC471497069– viaProQuest.
  7. ^abcdJennings, Angel (November 5, 2016)."Ralph Cicerone, former UC Irvine chancellor who studied the causes of climate change, dies at 73".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedNovember 7,2016.
  8. ^Showstack, Randy (2016-06-06)."Former Academy Head Predicts Few Obstacles for Female Successor".Eos.Retrieved2016-10-20.
  9. ^Lavelle, Marianne (2015-07-06)."Science Editor-in-Chief Marcia McNutt set to become first woman to lead U.S. National Academy of Sciences".ScienceInsider.Retrieved2016-10-20.
  10. ^"Advisors".USA Science and Engineering Festival.Archived fromthe originalon 2010-04-21.Retrieved2016-10-20.
  11. ^"New Fellows 2012".Royal Society.Retrieved30 July2013.
  12. ^"Ralph J. Cicerone".Academia Sinica.Retrieved5 October2019.
  13. ^"Ralph J. Cicerone".American Academy of Arts & Sciences.Retrieved2021-11-30.
  14. ^"APS Member History".search.amphilsoc.org.Retrieved2021-11-30.
  15. ^"Albert Einstein World Award of Science 2004".Archived fromthe originalon February 18, 2012.Retrieved13 August2013.
  16. ^ab"Cicerone's Field of Dreams".uci.edu.Archived fromthe originalon December 11, 2012.RetrievedNovember 23,2009.
  17. ^ab"Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark".UCIrvine.PrestoSports.com.UC Irvine Sports Information. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-08-24.Retrieved13 August2012.
  18. ^"UC Irvine announces 2008 Medal recipients".uci.edu.May 19, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon June 19, 2010.RetrievedNovember 23,2009.
  19. ^abc"National Academy of Sciences President Emeritus Ralph J. Cicerone Dies at 73".spaceref.com(Press release). National Academy of Sciences. November 5, 2016.RetrievedNovember 7,2016.
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Archival collections

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Other

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Academic offices
Preceded by 4th Chancellor of theUniversity of California, Irvine
1998–2005 		Succeeded by
Professional and academic associations
Preceded by 21st President of theNational Academy of Sciences
2005–2016 		Succeeded by
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