Donald A. Gurnett is a pioneer in the study of waves in space plasmas, and has been active in teaching plasma physics and conducting experimental space physics research for over fifty years. He is currently the James A. Van Allen/R. J. Carver Professor of Physics at the University of Iowa and has received numerous awards for both his teaching and research. In 1994 he received the Iowa Board of Regents Award for Faculty Excellence, and in 1998 was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences.