# J. Lawrence Smith Medal

Die J. Lawrence Smith Medal ist ein von der National Academy of Sciences der Vereinigten Staaten seit 1888 vergebener Wissenschaftspreis auf dem Gebiet der Meteoritenforschung. Der Preis wird seit 1985 im Drei-Jahres-Rhythmus vergeben und ist mit 50.000 US-Dollar dotiert (Stand 2018).
Die Auszeichnung ist nach J. Lawrence Smith (1818–1883) benannt.

## Preisträger

* 1888 Hubert Anson Newton
* 1922 George P. Merrill
* 1945 Stuart H. Perry
* 1949 Fred L. Whipple
* 1954 Peter M. Millman
* 1957 Mark G. Inghram
* 1960 Ernst J. Opik
* 1962 Harold C. Urey
* 1967 John H. Reynolds
* 1970 Edward P. Henderson
* 1971 Edward Anders
* 1973 Clair C. Patterson
* 1976 John A. Wood
* 1979 Ralph B. Baldwin
* 1985 Gerald J. Wasserburg
* 1988 Alastair Graham Walker Cameron
* 1991 Robert M. Walker
* 1994 Donald E. Brownlee
* 1997 Ernst K. Zinner: For his pioneering studies of the isotopic composition of circumstellar dust grains preserved in meteorites, opening a new window to the formation of the solar nebula.
* 2000 George W. Wetherill: For his unique contributions to the cosmochronology of the planets and meteorites and to the orbital dynamics and formation of solar system bodies.
* 2003 John T. Wasson: For important studies on the classification, origin, and early history of iron meteorites and chondritic meteorites, and on the mode of formation of chondrules.
* 2006 Klaus Keil: For his pioneering quantitative studies of minerals in meteorites and important contributions to understanding the nature, origin, and evolution of their parent bodies.
* 2009 Robert N. Clayton: For pioneering the study of oxygen isotopes to unravel the nature and origin of meteorites, showing that meteorites were assembled from components with distinct nuclear origins.
* 2012 Harry Y. McSween, Jr.: For his studies of the igneous and metamorphic histories of the parent planets of the chondritic and achondritic meteorites, with particular emphasis on his work on the geological history of Mars based on studies of Martian meteorites and spacecraft missions to this planet.
* 2015 Hiroko Nagahara: For her work on the kinetics of evaporation and condensation processes in the early Solar System and her fundamental contributions to one of the most enduring mysteries in meteoritics, the formation of the chondrules that constitute the characteristic component of the most abundant group of meteorites.
* 2018 Kevin D. McKeegan: For contributions to understanding of the processes and chronology of the early solar system as recorded by primitive meteorites, for innovation in analytical instrumentation, and for showing that the oxygen isotopic compositions of the Earth and rocky planets and meteorites are distinctly different from that of the Sun.
* 2021 Meenakshi Wadhwa: For her major contributions to some of the most important problems in cosmochemistry. Her refinement of the U-Pb dating method has led to improved age determinations of meteorites and an enhanced understanding of solar system history. Her use of other isotopes has revealed the timing of planetary core formation.
* 2024 Edward D. Young: Young has deepened our understanding of the history of the solar system and its place in the galaxy through his extensive contributions to both experimental and theoretical meteoritics and solar system research.