University News | June 14, 2010

Harvard dean Murray appointed Deepwater Horizon commission

President Obama announces the remaining members of the seven-person investigating commission.

President Barack Obama, J.D. '91, has announced his intention to appoint physicist Cherry A. Murray, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, to the seven-member National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling.

The text of the White House news release is here.

Background on Murray from Harvard Magazine appears here; her SEAS biography and research profile are here.

The commission is co-chaired by a pair of Harvard Law School alumni: former Florida governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham, LL.B. '62, and William K. Reilly, J.D. '65, who was administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President George H.W. Bush; in that capacity, Reilly oversaw the federal response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska in 1989.

You might also like

Arched doorway with a decorative window above, labeled "University Hall," surrounded by stone.

The division is launching a new fundraising effort to support 50 additional students.

Man wearing a suit stands at a podium and speaks into a microphone.

President Alan M. Garber used traditional Memorial Church address to consider the unique qualities of human intelligence and learning.

Two men hold up a red banner with "2030" written on it in white in a wood paneled room

Due to rain, the University held dual Convocation ceremonies for the Class of 2030 in Sanders Theatre.

Most popular

Stone building with tall columns, steps leading up, and a flag atop under a cloudy sky.

The University will compensate families of those whose remains were sold and establish a scholarship to honor anatomical donors.

White House and Harvard University buildings split diagonally with contrasting colors.

Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil

The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.

John Singleton Copley’s <i>A Boy with a Flying Squirrel,</i> 1765

Harvard art historian Jennifer Roberts teaches the value of immersive attention

Teaching students the value of deceleration and immersive attention

Explore More From Current Issue

A smiling William C. Kirby in a suit with glasses stands outdoors, surrounded by greenery.

Editor’s Letter

The president of Harvard Magazine’s Board of Directors will step down in September.

University Hall with steps and the John Harvard statue, surrounded by trees and a grassy lawn.

University News

Long-discussed reorganization includes layoffs and the end of the Dudley Community.

Three actors perform on stage, with one actor interacting closely with another, set against abstract backgrounds.

Arts & Culture

The play Spare Parts is a contemporary fable about the quest to live forever.