PHILADELPHIA – A paleontologist who discovered a missing link and an artist with an obsession with fish each will receive a prestigious award for their achievements from The Academy of Natural Sciences at its 195th Annual Meeting on Friday, June 1.
Dr. Ted Daeschler, who co-discovered the 375-million-year-old Canadian Arctic fossil that is an evolutionary link between fish and limbed animals, will receive the Hayden Memorial Geological Award for excellence in scientific discovery and research. The Academy's Associate Curator of Vertebrate Biology, Daeschler joined Philadelphia's natural history museum in 1987 as a collection manager. Besides overseeing an active research collection, Daeschler has made numerous key discoveries in northern Pennsylvania and in the Arctic of Late Devonian Age (375-365 million years ago) fossils that trace the evolution of limbed animals. Daeschler received his Ph.D in geology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1998. For more information on Daeschler's Arctic discovery see www.ansp.org/research/biodiv/vert_paleo/paleonunavut.php.
Ray Troll, an artist, naturalist, author and musician living in Alaska, will receive the Gold Medal for Distinction in Natural History Art for contributing to a better understanding and appreciation of living things. Armed with a life-long interest in natural history, Troll got his start in pop culture by creating offbeat depictions of fish and other sea creatures for T-shirts. He has co-written and illustrated six books including Rapture of the Deep and Sharkabet, has written blues songs about fish and is the art director for a traveling exhibition that opens June 2 at the Academy called Amazon Voyages: Vicious Fishes and Other Riches. For more on Troll, see www.trollart.com.
"These individuals have broken new ground into the history and exotica of life," said Academy President and CEO Dr. William Brown. "It's a joy to honor them both!"
The awards will be given the evening of June 1 during the Academy's annual meeting, which coincides with the Academy members' preview party for the Amazon Voyage exhibit. The meeting and the party, featuring Brazilian music and dancing by Minas, is not open to the general public. The public opening of Amazon Voyage will be Saturday, June 2, at 10 a.m.
The Hayden Memorial Geological Award was established in 1888 in memory of Ferdinand V. Hayden, the distinguished American geologist and early director of the U.S. Geological Survey who facilitated creation of Yellowstone National Park. Previous winners have included paleontologists Edward Drinker Cope and Stephen Jay Gould. The Gold Medal for Distinction in Natural History Art was established in 1980 and previous winners have included photographer Ansel Adams and author John McPhee.
The Academy of Natural Sciences is Philadelphia's natural history museum and a world leader in biodiversity and environmental research. The mission of the Academy is to create the basis for a healthy and sustainable planet through exploration, research and education.