Scientist, administrator and educator Athelstan Spilhaus (1911-1998), made contributions to oceanography, meteorology and cartography, served as a dean at the University of Minnesota, and worked to promote science education and science-based management of the earth's resources. In 1936 Spilhaus developed the bathythermograph, a device that made possible the measurement of ocean depths and temperatures from a moving vessel. From 1941 through 1945 he served in the United States Army, teaching meteorology and traveling in Europe and China. In 1949 Spilhaus became dean of science and technology at the University of Minnesota, a position he held until 1967. While at Minnesota he promoted the establishment of a Sea Grant Universities program for oceanographic education and research. In 1955 Spilhaus began writing scripts for "Our New Age," a science-based newspaper comic strip which ran until the early 1970s. In 1961 President John F. Kennedy appointed him United States Commissioner to the Seattle World's Fair (also known as the Century 21 Exposition). During the 1970s he served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as a fellow of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, as consultant to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, and in other scientific and cultural roles. During the 1980s and 1990s Spilhaus designed new map projections highlighting the earth's oceans, as well as map-themed puzzles.