San Diego

The Navy’s highest civilian honor has been awarded to Robert E. Stevenson, a scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography who has been called “the father of space oceanography in the Western world.” Stevenson, an oceanographic research associate at Scripps, received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award from Rear Adm. John B. Mooney in a ceremony Friday at Scripps. The presentation was made at a scientific symposium on space oceanography. The award recognizes Stevenson’s exceptional achievements in academic and military oceanography during more than a quarter of a century of association with the Navy, a Scripps statement said. “He was among the first American scientists to suggest that oceanographic measurements could be accurately recorded from spacecraft utilizing remote sensing instruments,” the Scripps statement said. “Among the agencies Dr. Stevenson has advised on space-related programs are the National Council for Marine Resources and Engineering Development, the National Academy of Sciences, NATO and NASA.”