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A High-Flying Success

August 26, 2018

Scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have gathered many medals and awards, but perhaps none is more coveted than the Albatross Award, the stuffed bird in the cage held here by Henry Stommel, right, and Art Maxwell, two of its early winners. The tongue-in-cheek award is conferred by the American Miscellaneous Society, and was once described by the journal Science as “a mildly loony, invisible college of otherwise mature academicians.” Recipients are selected for unusual (or sometimes obscure) contributions to oceanography. (Photo courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Archives)