MANIK TALWANI

Manik Talwani, an internationally recognized pioneer of modern applied marine geophysics, died March 22 in Auburndale, Mass., surrounded by his family. He was 89.

Manik's scientific exploration reached from deep beneath the ocean bottoms up to the moon, and his research in seismology, gravity and magnetics has influenced the course of science and petroleum exploration for decades, contributing greatly to human understanding of the Earth's crust, plate tectonics, continental margins and ocean basins. He was a pioneer in the acquisition of marine gravity and geomagnetic data and developed research methods that were adopted by both industry and academic researchers. Computer programming he wrote to analyze data 70 years ago is still in use with little change today.

Manik was born in Patiala, India, in 1933, the middle son of a civil engineer who led numerous dam projects in parts of the Punjab region that are now within both Pakistan and India. He was schooled at these remote locations by tutors before attending boarding school at age 11 and college at age 15.

He earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Delhi University and, at age 19, left India for Trondheim, Norway, to work on seismic and electromagnetic experiments. It was the start of a relationship with Norwegian friends and colleagues that would last a lifetime, eventually leading to an honorary doctorate from the University of Oslo, presented by the King of Norway.

In 1954, he accepted an opportunity to study geophysics at Columbia University and the next summer went on his first research trip aboard the R.V. Vema, a research vessel he would lead as chief scientist starting in 1961. In the early years, some experiments involved throwing live dynamite charges overboard night and day to acquire data for mapping the sub-ocean features. He went to sea every year for more than two decades as the Vema accumulated more geophysical data and sediment cores than any other ship of its era. His research also brought him a four-month stint in a British Navy submarine off the coast of Africa.

In 1958, he married his beloved wife, Anni (nee Anna Elizabeth Fittler), who joined in his endeavors and traveled with him around the world for the next 55 years. They raised three children, Rajeev, Indira and Sanjay.

After receiving his Ph.D, from Columbia, Manik continued at the university's Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory (now Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory) in Palisades, N.Y. He became a professor at Columbia in 1967 and the director of the observatory in 1973, a position he held until 1981. In 1972, he reached new heights as principal investigator for the experiments on the gravitational field of the moon conducted by the crew of Apollo 17, resulting in the only gravity measurements ever to be made on the moon. Anni and the three children witnessed the lift-off at Cape Canaveral, and the instrument he designed and built remains on the surface of the moon, with a replica on display at the Smithsonian Institute.

In 1974, during Manik's six-month sabbatical in Oslo, Norway, Anni and the children also developed a lifelong affinity with the culture of that country. Thanks in part to numerous treks among Norway's mountains and glaciers and elsewhere through the years, the family's passion for hiking and cross-country skiing continues to this day.

After four-years in industry, including a role as chief scientist for Gulf Research and Development Company, Talwani joined Rice University in Houston in 1985 as the Schlumberger Chair of Advanced Studies and Research and the founding director of the Geotechnology Research Institute, part of the Houston Advanced Research Center.

In 2004, Manik turned his research deeper into the Earth as president and CEO of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, an international nonprofit dedicated to deep sea drilling from ships around the globe. In 2009, he returned to Rice University where he continued his research for 13 more years, giving his final paper in October 2022 at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America.

Manik received a wide range of honors. He was the first recipient of the Krishnan Medal of the Indian Geophysical Union and received the IGU's Dr. Hari Narain Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. He received the Macelwane Award from the American Geophysical Union, the Woollard Award from the Geological Society of America, the Exceptional Scientific Achievement Award from NASA, the Maurice Ewing Award frorn the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, the Alfred Wegener Medal from the European Geosciences Union, and the Emile Wiechert Award from the German Geophysical Society. He was a member of the Russian and Norwegian Academies of Science.

For several years he and Anni made monthlong trips to the National Institute of Oceanography in Goa, India, where he lectured and led research. He and Anni especially cherished the friendships made with young scientists in India, who gave them great hope for the future of his profession. After Anni's death in 2013, he established the Anni Talwani Memorial Prize in her honor, given annually to a scientist under age 60 with significant contributions to the study of India's land and offshore areas.

Above all, Manik and Anni loved to spend time with their children and grandchildren in California, Montana, Washington, D.C., and Massachusetts. In his 80s, Manik made annual hiking expeditions with his eight grandchildren, reaching India, Nepal, Iceland, the Alps, the U.S. and Canadian Rockies, and other memorable destinations.

Manik is survived by his son Rajeev Talwani and his wife, Carolyn McKnight, of Los Angeles, and their children; his daughter Indira Talwani and her husband, Tod Cochran, of Newton, Massachusetts, and their children; his son Sanjay Talwani and his wife, Danna Jackson, of Washington, D.C., and Helena, Montana, and their children; his brother Pradeep Talwani, of Columbia, South Carolina; sister-in-law Renu Talwani of New Delhi, India; his uncle Navjeevan Khosla, of Chandigarh, India, and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

A memorial service will be held in Houston in the fall.