Geophysical Research Letters editorial files

Alexander J. (A.J.) Dessler earned a B.S. in Physics from Caltech and a PhD in Physics from Duke University before spending seven years in Space Physics research at Lockheed Missile and Space Company. He then became a professor of Space Physics and Astronomy at Rice University, where he would remain for the next 26 years. He was selected as the chairman of Rice’s Space Physics and Astronomy department, making him founder of the nation’s first Space Science department. He was also named Manager of Campus Business Affairs in 1974. Dessler was a very popular professor at Rice and he taught his classes using the Keller method, a teaching method on which he led several conferences. Dessler was appointed President of the Universities Space Research Consortium and he was also appointed to the Space Science and Technology Panel of President Nixon’s Science Advisory Committee (1972). He also served as the Editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research-Space Physics (1965-1969), JGR-SP (1969-1974), and the Geophysical Research Letters (1986-1988). He was also named Space Advisor to the Executive Secretary of the National Aeronautics and Space Council; furthermore, he served as Director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center’s space lab for four years. Dessler was awarded with the John Adam Fleming Medal for original research and technical leadership in science in 1993.