March 24, 2004

Scripps Oceanography Scientist Elected
To National Academy Of Engineering

By Mario Aguilera

William Kuperman, a professor of oceanography and director of the Marine Physical Laboratory at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).

Kuperman was elected to the NAE "for international leadership in the development and application of computational methods for ocean acoustics." He specializes in ocean acoustics, signal processing and physical oceanography. He has been at Scripps Institution of Oceanography since 1992 and was formerly a senior scientist in the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's Acoustics Division.

"Bill is a major figure in ocean acoustics." said John Orcutt, Scripps deputy director. "Bill's recent pioneering work on time reversal in observed ocean acoustic fields is one of several major contributions to research in marine acoustics, and is now finding applications in other fields including medicine and acoustical imaging. His leadership of the Marine Physical Laboratory at Scripps has been essential to the health of the laboratory and Scripps Institution of Oceanography."

As director of the Marine Physical Laboratory (MPL) at Scripps, Kuperman oversees a large multidisciplinary research program, which focuses on exploratory and technology-based research and development of unique underwater sensor systems. MPL receives major sponsorship from the Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation. Its main administrative headquarters are located adjacent to Scripps's Nimitz Marine Facility on San Diego Bay.

Kuperman holds a Secretary of the Navy/Chief of Naval Operations Oceanography Chair in Oceanographic Science. He is president-elect and a fellow of the Acoustical Society of America, former associate editor of The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, coauthor of the textbook Computational Ocean Acoustics and was awarded the 1995 Acoustical Society of America's Pioneers of Underwater Acoustics Medal.

Kuperman earned a B.S. in physics from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, an M.S. in physics from the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Maryland.

Founded in 1964, the NAE is part of the National Academies and has a membership of more than 2,000 senior professionals in business, academia and government who are among the world's most accomplished engineers. Election to the NAE is one of the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.

Media Contacts: Dora Dalton or Mario Aguilera (858) 534-3624