AGU Names Three MIT Affiliates 2026 Fellows
The American Geophysical Union elected Anthea Coster, Carolyn Ruppel, and César Terrer as 2026 fellows, honoring exceptional contributions to Earth and space science.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Geography
The American Geophysical Union elected three MIT affiliates as 2026 fellows: Anthea Coster, Carolyn Ruppel, and César Terrer. The honor is conferred on members who have made exceptional contributions to Earth and space science.
Why it matters
The AGU annually elects less than 0.1% of its roughly 60,000 members in more than 135 countries to fellow status, making the designation a selective recognition of scientific leadership. The honors spotlight work on methane in gas hydrates, soil nutrient limits on plant carbon uptake, and space physics outreach.
The AGU has about 60,000 members in more than 135 countries, and fewer than 0.1% are elected fellows each year. Soil nutrients limit extra plant carbon uptake about three times less than models assumed, according to Terrer's group's findings.
The players
American Geophysical Union
A professional scientific organization with about 60,000 members in more than 135 countries that elects fellows annually.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
A private research university whose affiliates Anthea Coster, Carolyn Ruppel, and César Terrer were elected 2026 AGU fellows.
The details
Coster, an MIT principal research scientist and Haystack Observatory assistant director emerita, co-founded the annual GNSS workshop series in 2009 with Boston College and ICTP and was nominated for bringing space physics to South America, Africa, and tribal Alaska. Ruppel, deputy director of science and technology at the MIT Energy Initiative, led the USGS Gas Hydrates Project starting in 2010, while Terrer, a civil and environmental engineering professor, has had all his first-author papers cited in the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report.
Timeline
2009: Coster co-founds the annual GNSS workshop series.
2010: Ruppel begins leading the USGS Gas Hydrates Project.
2025: Ruppel joins the MIT Energy Initiative.
2026: AGU elects fellows for 2026.
December 2026: Fellow awards are presented at the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco.
Big Picture
Ruppel's leadership of the USGS Gas Hydrates Project, which began in 2010, anchors her work on methane stored in gas hydrates, which the source ties to roughly 15% of Earth's methane budget. Her recognition extends that multi-decade research program into the AGU's fellow honors.
Recognition by the AGU highlights research on methane release, soil carbon limits, and space weather that informs climate planning and geospatial observation. Readers following Earth science can track how these fellows' work shapes ongoing efforts.
The takeaway
Recognition like the AGU fellow designation reflects decades of sustained work, such as Ruppel's USGS Gas Hydrates Project begun in 2010 and Coster's GNSS training series started in 2009. Following these research programs offers insight into how Earth science advances over time.
What happens next
AGU fellow awards will be presented at the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco in December 2026.
Further reading
Explore more in Geography coverage of how Earth science research is recognized and funded.
Source note: This article includes information reported by MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
