A fund has been established by Virgil Kauffman, former president of Aero Service Corporation, to encourage improvement in the science of geophysical exploration. The Kauffman Gold Medal is awarded to a person who, in the opinion of the Honors and Awards Committee, has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the science of geophysical exploration as manifested during the previous five years. The contribution may be of a technical or of a professional nature.
     The SEG Committee on Honors and Awards has awarded the 1980 Virgil Kauffman Gold Medal to Anthony R. (Tony) Barringer in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the science of exploration geophysics through his invention of the Induced Pulse Transient Input Airborne Electromagnetic Prospecting System." This is indeed a meritorious technical achievement which has been instrumental in the discovery of many base metal deposits in a number of countries around the world.
     The committee might equally well have decided to award this medal to Tony for his improvements in direct reading proton magnetometers, or for his development of airborne conductivity mapping systems using VLF fields (radiophase and E-phase). Also, at the risk of infringing on the domain of various instrumentation or chemical societies, they might equally have honored Tony for his development of ambient and remote sensing gas analyzers, such as Cospec, and particulate analyzers such as Air Trace and Surtrace. Truly the range of Tony's creativity encompasses many disciplines, both in the earth sciences and beyond.
     Tony took his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in economic geology, the latter in 1954, both at Imperial College, London. Tony is, however, not your typical economical geologist. He emigrated to Canada in 1954 and spent only 2 1/2 years as an exploration geologist with Selco Exploration Co. Ltd. before conceiving the principles of the Input airborne electromagnetic system and persuading Selco to fund its development. In 1961, he formed Barringer Research Ltd., including much of the Airborne and Technical Services Division of Selco Exploration, with himself as president and major shareholder, his current position.
     Tony is a man of boundless energy and enthusiasm, coupled with an intuitive grasp of physical and chemical processes in the earth. Within his organization he plays many roles. He develops new concepts and processes. He inspires investors, often ultra-conservative mining companies, to supply the funds necessary to put these concepts into practice. He infects his own employees with his enthusiasm and his devotion to his research projects. Many of these employees have gone on to make their mark in scientific research in other organizations, particularly in the field of electro-optical analytical devices and electromagnetic exploration. These alumni owe much to the inspiration and leadership of Tony Barringer.
     At the present time, Tony lives in Golden, Colorado, but commutes between his offices there and in Toronto, Canada. Despite his many corporate responsibilities, he has somehow found time to sit on a number of governmental committees in Canada and the U.S.A., as well as maintaining a long-standing post as visiting professor in mineral exploration at his alma mater, Imperial College, London. He has presented more than 80 technical papers covering the broad scope of his interest and has been awarded more than 70 patents in Canada, the U.S., and other countries over the past two decades.
     One of Tony's most recent accomplishments was the organization and execution of the Sixth Annual Pecora Symposium on Remote Sensing and Its Application to Exploration, which was held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in April.
     Truly, the Honors and Awards Committee has chosen well in selecting Anthony R. Barringer to be the recipient of the Virgil S. Kauffman, Gold Medal for 1980.

      H. O. Seigel