The Ecological Society of America is honored to recognize the following accomplishments in ecology. These awards will be given at ESA's 86th Annual Meeting in Madison, Wisconsin on August 9, 2001. For more information on the Annual Meeting visit the ESA website at http://esa.sdsc.edu
Murray F. Buell Award
Jennifer Klug
The Murray F. Buell Award is given annually for the most outstanding paper presented by a student at the previous Annual Meeting. The recipient this year is Jennifer Klug. She received the award for her paper Interactions between bacteria and phytoplankton affect algal response to nutrients and dissolved organic matter. Klug completed her doctorate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison department of Zoology in December 2000.
E. Lucy Braun Award
David E. Lytle
The Lucy E. Braun Award is given annually for the most outstanding poster presented by a student at the previous Annual Meeting. This year the Braun Award is presented to David Lytle for his poster Constraints on forest regrowth following 19th Century clear-cutting and fire. Currently at the University of Minnesota-St. Paul, Lytle is working on his doctorate.
W. S. Cooper Award
Thomas Swetnam and Julio Betancourt
Dr. Thomas Swetnam and Dr. Julio Betancourt will be awarded the Cooper Award for their paper Mesoscale disturbance and ecological response to decadal climate variability in the American Southwest. The William Skinner Cooper Award is given annually to honor an outstanding contribution to the fields of geobotany and/or physiographic ecology. Swetnam is currently Director of the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at the University of Arizona while Betancourt works with the US Geological Survey at the Desert Laboratory in Tucson. Their paper represents a synthesis of considerable material, analyzing the influence of fires, insects, El Niño and La Niña over the last 400 years in the southwestern US. The study has shown that climate can have a persistent, large-scale impact on ecosystems. Some have suggested this paper may be the only work that captures the overriding climate controls on ecosystem dynamics with such success.
George Mercer Award
Brian Enquist
The Mercer Award, given annually to a younger researcher (40 or younger) for an outstanding ecological paper, is presented this year to Dr. Brian Enquist. He received the award for his paper Allometric scaling of production and life-history variation in vascular plants. The use of rigorous mathematical modeling combined with global-scale field data make his work particularly impressive. Studying trees in tropical forests, Enquist shows how growth rate and resource allocation can be combined mathematically to explain the life-histories of different species. He has since had two more major publications in this field, a remarkable accomplishment for a former graduate student who only recently received his Ph.D. Enquist is currently working for the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Eugene P. Odum Award for Excellence in Ecology Education
James Brown
This year's recipient of the Odum Education Award is Dr. James H. Brown, Regents Professor of Biology at the University of New Mexico. The Eugene P. Odum Award for Excellence in Education is given annually to recognize an ecologist for outstanding work in ecology education. Brown has a distinguished record of achievement in ecological research and a commitment to his students. His excellence in mentoring young students is outstanding. Brown's work includes a devoted and considerable effort to produce books, including a text on biogeography, that have become key in training young scientists, reflecting his full commitment to the next generation of ecologists.
Corporate Award
Weyerhaeuser Corporation British Columbia
Coastal Group and Forest Project Team
This year's Corporate Award will be given to Weyerhaeuser Corporation British Columbia Coastal Group and Forest Project Team for the conception of, commitment to, and implementation of their "Forest Project" approach to forestry management. The Corporate Award is given annually to recognize a corporation, business, division, program, or an individual of a company for accomplishments in incorporating sound ecological concepts, knowledge, and practices into planning and operating procedures. Started in 1997 by MacMillan Bloedel Ltd., which was later purchased by Weyerhaeuser in 1999, the Forest Project divides the forest resource into three zones (timber, habitat and old-growth), each with a unique mix of management objectives and techniques. Relying on input from the scientific, environmental, and corporate communities, the Forest Project Team strives to balance environmental and economic needs.
Honorary Member Award
Madhav Gadgil
The Honorary Award is given annually to a distinguished ecologist who has made exceptional contributions to ecology and whose principal residence and site of ecological research are outside the United States, Canada and Mexico. This year's recipient is Dr. Madhav Gadgil. One of the most prominent ecologists in India, Dr. Gadgil is one of the best and most outstanding ecologists of our time. He is committed to solving environmental problems in developing nations through careful analysis and the application of ecological theory. Since receiving his Ph.D. from Harvard, Gadgil has authored or co-authored numerous papers and a powerful book, Life History Consequences of Natural Selection, and established the Center for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science. His participation both within the Indian government and in international organizations reflects his commitment to both ecology and society.
Distinguished Service Citation
Louis Pitelka
The Distinguished Service Citation is given annually to recognize long and distinguished service to the Ecological Society of America, to the larger scientific community and to the larger purpose of ecology in the public welfare. The award will be presented to Dr. Louis Pitelka, a dedicated member of ESA. From serving on numerous committees to Vice President for Finance, Pitelka has remained a stronghold within the Society. Most notable are his successes with the formidable and important planning of ESA's annual meetings and editing Ecological Applications. Within the scientific community, he is an Activity Leader in the Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems project of the International Geosphere Biosphere Program. Dr. Pitelka received a B.S. in zoology from the University of California at Davis, and a Ph.D. in plant ecology from Stanford University. He has been at the University of Maryland since 1996, where he is the Director of the Appalachian Laboratory in Frostburg, MD, a research laboratory in the University's Center for Environmental Science.
Eminent Ecologist Award
Paul Ehrlich
This year the Eminent Ecologist Award is presented to Paul Ehrlich of Stanford University. The Eminent Ecologist Award is presented annually to a senior ecologist for sustained and distinguished contributions to the science of ecology and biological sciences. Through his research, Paul Ehrlich's contributions have revolutionized the thoughts of the scientific community about population biology, density dependence and coevolution. He has been a leader in developing conservation biology as a discipline, and in bringing attention to the need to value the services ecosystems provide human society. Through numerous international awards received for his environmental research, Ehrlich continues to be an important influence in the ecological community.
The Ecological Society of America (ESA) is a scientific, non-profit, 7,800-member organization founded in 1915. Through ESA reports, journals, membership research, and expert testimony to Congress, ESA seeks to promote the responsible application of ecological data and principles to the solution of environmental problems. ESA publishes three scientific, peer-reviewed journals: Ecology, Ecological Applications, and Ecological Monographs. Information about the Society and its activities is published in the Society's quarterly newsletter, ESA NewSource, and in the quarterly Bulletin. More information can be found on the ESA website: http://esa.sdsc.edu.