The Abraham Gottlob Werner Silver Medal is the highest scientific distinction awarded by the German Mineralogical Society. In recognition of his outstanding research on the properties of silicate glasses and melts, the DMG this year honors Donald Bruce Dingwell (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich), an internationally renowned mineralogist and volcanologist.

Donald Bruce, or simply Don Dingwell, is one of the world's leading experimental volcanologists. His scientific work has fundamentally advanced our understanding of the properties of glasses and molten geomaterials. His research has provided the foundation for a more quantitative understanding of the dynamics and kinetics of magmatic processes. The field of volcanology, and particularly our understanding of eruption mechanisms, has benefited enormously from Don Dingwell's work on the physical properties of melts and magmas. Through experimental simulations, he has investigated the fundamental processes governing explosive volcanism and has made major contributions to the development of numerous models for predicting the physical properties of partially molten systems. Thanks to the experimental results produced in his unique laboratory, our understanding of the interactions between chemical and physical processes controlling magmatic and volcanic systems has been substantially improved.