2022 Distinguished Service Award

It was an honor to present this year’s Distinguished Service Award to Dr. John Watson. John was chosen for his long involvement with the OCEANS Conferences and Exhibition, serving as Chair of OCEANS Aberdeen (2007 and 2017), Reconnaissance Committee Member since 2010, OES Administrative Committee Member (2006–2011, 2013–2018), and VP for OCEANS (2019–2022).
John is Emeritus Professor of Optical Engineering at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. His research group has acquired an international reputation in underwater holography and digital holography and has developed several subsea holographic cameras to image and analyze plankton. Prof Watson was recently elevated to IEEE Fellow.
John guided OCEANS through several challenging years and can hand the reigns to the next VP OCEANS after a very successful OCEANS 2022 Hampton Roads. 2021 saw a major update to the OCEANS Conference Operating Policy (OCOP), which was an enormous undertaking. In addition to the pandemic challenges, John has advised numerous OCEANS proposals from the earliest stages through to the final conference closure.
Past Recipients of the Distinguished Service Award of the IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society
2021 | Albert (Sandy) J. Williams, 3rd |
2020 | N. Ross Chapman |
2019 | Marinna Martini |
2018 | Jerry Carroll |
2017 | Robert L. Wernli |
2016 | Harumi Sugimatsu |
2015 | Elizabeth Creed |
2014 | Diane DiMassa |
2013 | Robert Bannon |
2012 | Robert Spindel |
2011 | James Barbera |
2010 | Thomas Freud Wiener |
2009 | Christian de Moustier |
2008 | Archie Todd Morrison III |
2007 | Stephen M. Holt |
2006 | Rene Garello |
2005 | Claude P. Brancart |
2004 | William M. Carey |
2003 | Joseph Czika |
2002 | James S. Collins |
2001 | Claude P. Brancart |
2000 | Frederick H. Maltz |
1999 | Pierre Sabathé |
1998 | Norman D. Miller |
1997 | Ferial M. El-Hawary |
1996 | Glen N. Williams |
1995 | David E. Weissman |
1994 | Daniel L. Alspach |
1993 | Edward W. Early |
1992 | Gordon Raisbeck |
1991 | Frederick H. Fisher |
1990 | Anthony I. Eller |
1989 | Eric Herz |
1988 | Harold A. Sabbagh |
1987 | Stanley L. Ehrlich |
1986 | Stanley G. Chamberlain |
1985 | Joseph R. Vadus |
1984 | John C. Redmond |
1983 | Elmer P. Wheaton |
1982 | Arthur S. Westneat |
1981 | Lloyd Z. Maudlin |
1980 | Donald M. Bolle |
1979 | Richard M. Emberson |
1978 | Edward W. Early |
1977 | Calvin T. Swift |
1976 | Frank Snodgrass |
1975 | Arthur S. Westneat |