Prof. Nets Crafoord Prize

No major earthquakes shook the ground in the Boston area yesterday, but Baird Professor of Science Adam M. Dziewonski must have felt a few tremors when awarded the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences' Crafoord prize for his work in developing the field of "seismic tomography."

The Crafoord prize, named after the inventor of the artificial kidney, is awarded by the same academy that awards the Nobel prizes.

Since there is no Nobel category for work in geophysics, the Crafoord prize is one of the most prestigious in the field.

Dziewonski, an Academy of Arts and Sciences member, shares the honor with Don L. Anderson, a professor at the California Institute of Technology.

Anderson and Dziewonski first collaborated in the early 1970s while working together at the university of Texas at Dallas.

Although Anderson said he is unsure whether the Academy awarded the Crafoord prize for work the two professors did together or independently, he said both scientists were instrumental in the development of the field of seismic tomography.

Together they created a "reference earth model"--a model of the earth that seismologists can use to measure seismic waves and other geophysical phenomena.

"I consider Professor Dziewonski to be one of the most prominent seismologists in the world and I'm delighted he received it," said Anderson.

Dziewonski is currently out of town and unavailable for comment.

Anderson said he found it "ironic" that the Swiss academy did not offer Nobel prizes in his field.

"Nobel made his fortune in dynamite and geophysicists use more dynamite than anyone else in the world [when they] simulate explosions," Anderson said.

The King of Sweden will present the award to Dziewonski and Anderson in a ceremony next fall.

Dziewonski, who completed his formal education in Poland, came to Harvard in 1972. He currently teaches three Earth and Planetary Science courses concerning seismology.