The European Geosciences Union awarded its 2017 Petrus Peregrinus Medal to John Tarduno, a professor of geophysics at the University of Rochester, in recognition of his research on the evolution of the early Earth’s magnetic field. Tarduno is also the chair of Rochester’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
The Petrus Peregrinus Medal is awarded annually for outstanding scientific contributions in the field of magnetism and paleomagnetism. It honors the scientific achievements of Petrus Peregrinus, a 13th century French scholar who wrote the first treatise describing the properties of magnets and the earliest detailed discussion of compass needles.
The EGU is a nonprofit union of scientists from around the globe, dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in the Earth, planetary, and space sciences.