Marcia K. McNutt

Doctor of Science

Institute of Technology, November 18, 2004

Marcia K. McNutt, a graduate of Blake Schools in Minneapolis, is considered one of the most outstanding and influential scientists in the world today. After earning a B.A. degree in Physics from Colorado College and her Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, she spent a short time with the U.S. Geological Survey and then launched her fifteen-year teaching career at MIT. She left MIT to assume her present position as the President of the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Research Institute (MBARI). Under her leadership, the aquarium was transformed into a world-class research institute in ocean science. She is a described as a highly effective champion for the cause of science, public policy, and science education. Her contributions to understanding the earth's gravity field and its consequences on both the continents and oceans are significant. Her research has led to the development of unique vehicles and platforms for the insitu measurements and study of the ocean floor, the water column, and sea ice. She has received many fellowships, awards, and honors for her teaching and research, including but not limited to, MIT's Science Graduate Teaching Award, an honorary Doctorate Degree from Colorado College, Fellow of the Geological Society of America, and more recently she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She has been cited as one of the 50 "Most Important Women in Science" by DISCOVER magazine. She truly is a role model for women in science.