Congratulations to the recipients of the 2006 DPS prizes! These prizes will be formally presented at the 38th Annual Meeting of the DPS in October 2006. The awardees will present lectures or talks at the meeting, and to which the press is invited.

The Gerard P. Kuiper Prize is awarded to Dale Cruikshank, of the NASA Ames Research Center, in recognition of his pioneering work in the application of infrared spectroscopy to solar system bodies, his development of laboratory techniques that have become tools for interpreting the observations, and his leadership in the design of instruments for remote sensing observations from deep space planetary exploration probes.

The Harold Masursky Award is given to Gentry Lee, of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, for his fundamental contributions to systems engineering in the complex world of robotic planetary missions, including the Mars rovers, Deep Impact, Cassini, Stardust, and Genesis, and for imparting this knowledge to a generation of young engineers at the early stages of their careers.

The Harold C. Urey Prize is awarded to Tristan Guillot, of L'Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur, for his fundamental contributions in the study of the interior structure of gas giant planets, their formation process, and their atmospheres under extreme environments. His accomplishments include detailed models of the internal structure of Jupiter and Saturn and studies of the late emergence of gas giants.

The Carl Sagan Medal is given to David Grinspoon, of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, for his energetic and successful efforts to get the general public thinking about planets, and about our place in the solar system and wider universe. His two popular books, "Lonely Planets" and "Venus Revealed," are detailed and thought-provoking treatments of serious subjects that describe scientific investigation in human and enticing terms.