sentences:  Spiess was awarded the John Price Wetherill Medal in 1965 and the Maurice Ewing Medal in 1983.He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1985.He was a fellow of the Acoustical Society of America, and was awarded their Pioneers of Underwater Acoustics Medal in 1985 for "his leadership and insight in applying acoustics to study the ocean and the sea floor, for his many ingenious scientific and engineering contributions; for his introduction of students, scientists, and many others to underwater acoustics."