Pilkey, Orrin H.

Orrin H. Pilkey is the James B. Duke professor emeritus in the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University. He began his career as a deep-sea oceanographer and ended up quite happily on the beach. He received the Francis Shepard Medal for excellence in marine geology and was the 2003 recipient of the Priestly Award, which honors an outstanding American scientist for discoveries that contribute to the welfare of humankind.