Carl-Christian Tscherning

The 2008 Vening Meinesz Medal is awarded to Carl-Christian Tscherning for his fundamental contributions to physical geodesy and his unselfish involvement within the international association of geodesy.

Born May 21, 1942. Lieutenant ®, 1991, First Lieutenant ®, 1967, Knight of Dannebrog 1999.

Mag. Scient. in geodesy, may 1970, University of Copenhagen. 1970 – 1988 at the Geodetic Institute of Denmark. Deputy manager computer section 1975-1988. State geodesist and chief of the unit for theory and methodology, july-december 1988. Lecturer (part time) in physical geodesy at the University of Copenhagen since 1977. From December 1. 1988 professor of geodesy here. Director (chairman) of the Department of Geophysics of the University 1989 – 1998. Head “Meteorology, Oceanography, Geodesy” Research Group at the Niels Bohr Institute, 2005-2007, Head “Planetary and Geophysics” Research Group from July 2007.

Have stayed several periods at the Ohio State University (totally 15 months), and at the German Geodetic Research Institute (Munich) 2 months. Visiting senior scientist, U.S.National Geodetic Survey, 3 months in 1981, Visiting Professor Politecnico di Milano, 1 month, 1991. Invited lecturer to many universities in several different countries. Organized two Danish conferences on space methods in geophysics supported by the Space research Board (Dansk SONG 1978, SANATH 1979) and an international symposium on Management of Geodetic Data, 1981. Convener and Co-convener of several meetings outside Denmark, convener symposium on Advances in Gravity Field Modelling, Vancouver, 1987, co-convener AGU Chapman Conference of Progress in the Determination of the Earth’s Gravity Field, FT. Lauderdale, 1988 and co-convener 1. Geoid Commission symposium, Milano, 1990. Member science program committee IUGG General Assembly 1999, 2003 and 2007. Secretary International Association of Geodesy (IAG) Section III (Gravity Field) 1983-1987. Associate Editor Reviews of Geophysics 1984-87. Editor Bulletin Geodesique 1986-1995 and Manuscripta Geodaetica 1992-1995. Secretary International Geoid Commission, 1987. Member Directing Board International Gravity Bureau 1986-1994. IUGG representative to CODATA, 1987-1995. Secretary General IAG 1995-2007. Honorary Secretary General, 2007. Associate Editor Studia Geodaetica et Geophysica from 2005. Has hold many offices in professional organizations: President of the Geo-Section of the Danish Union of Masters and Ph.D.‘s in Science and Humanities (Dansk Magister- forening) 85-87 and president the Science Faculty section 1989-1995. Vice Pres. Danish Geophysical Society 1984-1989 and President 1990 – 1991, secretary 1991. Member faculty council, Science Faculty, University of Copenhagen 1979-1988. Chairman Inter- national Committee, Science Faculty, 1992-98, and chairman University international committee 1996-1997. Member of the university Senate (Konsistorium) 1999-2000.

1985 secretary Danish National Committee for the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, President 1992-1999. More than 220 publications in national and international scientific journals, symposium proceedings and report series. Received Ole Roemer award (Danish), 1971, and W.A.Heiskanen Senior Award (Ohio State University), 1976. Fellow American Geophysical Union, 1991, Foreign Associate Royal Astronomical Society (UK), 1999, IAG Levallois Medal, 2007. Received project support from NATO, EC, Danish Space Board, ESA and was in 1988 appointed principal investigator for an ESA ERS-1 altimetry project and in 1994 CO-PI for the ESA ERS-2 AFRICAR project. Member ESA Fundamental Physics Assessment Group, 1993. ESA STEP Geodesy Working Group, 1994-95. ESA ENVISAT Radar Altimeter Scientific Advisory Group 1995 – 2001, ESA Gravity Mission Science Advisory Group, 1995-97, ESA Mission Advisory Group for GOCE, 1997- . Member scientific advisory board of the Vening Meinesz Research School of Geodynamics, Universiteit Utrecht from 1998-2000.