Larry Mayer

{{short description|American geophysicist and marine geologist}}

{{Infobox scientist

|name = Larry Mayer

|image = Larry Mayer 2018.jpg

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|caption = Mayer in 2018

|workplaces = University of New Hampshire

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Larry Mayer is a distinguished professor{{Cite web |url = http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2011/03/06/unh_professor_leading_study_panel_on_largest_us_oil_spill/ |title = UNH professor leading study panel on largest US oil spill |date = March 6, 2011 |accessdate = |website = Boston Globe |publisher = Boston Globe Media Partners |last = |first = }} of the University of New Hampshire and a former member of the President's Panel on Ocean Exploration.{{Cite web |url = http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/about/what-we-do/program-review/presidents-panel-on-ocean-exploration-report.pdf |title = President's Panel on Ocean Exploration |date = |accessdate = |website = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |publisher = |last = |first = }} He has a broad background in marine geology and geophysics, reflecting his current contributions in the Ocean Engineering and Earth Science Department at UNH.{{Cite web |url = http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/080212-AP-arctic-grab.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080214114229/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/080212-AP-arctic-grab.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = February 14, 2008 |title = New Seafloor Maps May Bolster U.S. Arctic Claims |date = |accessdate = |website = National Geographic |publisher = |last = |first = }}{{Cite web |url = http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/12/arctic-melt-yields-hints-of-bigger-us-seabed-claim/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0 |title = Arctic Melt Yields Hints of Bigger U.S. Seabed Claim |date = |accessdate = |website = The New York Times |publisher = |last = |first = }}

After receiving his Ph.D. in Marine Geophysics from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1979, Mayer was selected as an astronaut candidate finalist for NASA's first class of mission specialists. He went on to a Post-Doc at the School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island and then to a faculty position at Dalhousie University in 1981 and then became the NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Ocean Mapping at the University of New Brunswick in 1991.{{Cite web |url = http://ccom.unh.edu/user/larry |title = Larry Mayer |date = |accessdate = 2014-07-17 |website = Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping |publisher = University of New Hampshire |last = |first = }}

In 2000, Mayer became the founding director of the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping at the University of New Hampshire and the co-director of the NOAA/UNH Joint Hydrographic Center. The Centers focus on developing leading edge technology for advancing our ability to map and visualize the seafloor and the water column supporting safe navigation, coastal management and many other aspects of ocean research.{{Cite web |url = http://ccom.unh.edu/theme/chart-future |title = Chart of the Future |date = 2014-07-17 |accessdate = 2014-07-17 |website = Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping |publisher = University of New Hampshire |last = |first = }}

In 2018, Mayer was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for the development of techniques and technologies for coastal, Arctic, and ocean floor mapping.