News Release

April Abbott selected as a recipient of The Oceanography Society's Early Career Award

For contributions to chemical oceanography, providing a new view of the marine REE cycle, and training the next generation of ocean scientists

Grant and Award Announcement

The Oceanography Society

April N. Abbott

image: The Oceanography Society (TOS) congratulates Dr. April N. Abbott for being selected as a recipient of the Early Career Award. The citation on Dr. Abbott's certificate recognizes her for contributions to chemical oceanography, providing a new view of the marine REE cycle, and training the next generation of ocean scientists. view more 

Credit: April N. Abbott

The Oceanography Society (TOS) congratulates Dr. April N. Abbott for being selected as a recipient of the Early Career Award. The citation on Dr. Abbott's certificate recognizes her for contributions to chemical oceanography, providing a new view of the marine REE cycle, and training the next generation of ocean scientists.

The Selection Committee noted, in particular, Dr. Abbott's research on the cycling of rare earth elements (REE) in the ocean identified major benthic fluxes of REEs, which if integrated to basin scale are of sufficient magnitude to balance the global budget - a breakthrough for a longstanding puzzle in the field. She further traced this flux mechanistically to diagenesis of clay minerals at the sea floor, challenging previous paradigms that assumed REE's were cycled primarily through oxides and oxyhydroxides. The committee also was impressed by Dr. Abbott's extraordinary efforts to develop and serve as Director of the Australian CAPSTAN program (Collaborative Australian Post-Graduate Sea Training Alliance Network) throughout its pilot phase, which transforms the way marine science education is delivered via experiential learning at sea and addresses key challenges facing Australia's oceans and development of the blue economy.

Dr. Abbott received her M.S. in 2011 from the University of Minnesota, Duluth. In 2014 she earned a Graduate Certificate in College and University Teaching from Oregon State University and received a Ph.D. in ocean, earth, and atmospheric science from that same institution in 2016. She joined Macquarie University (NSW, Australia) as an Assistant Professor in 2016, where in addition to teaching and research responsibilities, she served as the Director of CAPSTAN.

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The TOS Early Career Award is presented for significant early-career research contributions and impact, and potential for future achievements in the field of oceanography. This award also seeks to recognize individuals who have additionally made significant contributions toward educating and mentoring in the ocean sciences community and/or who have a record of outstanding outreach and/or science communication beyond the scientific community. The next nomination deadline is September 30, 2022. To learn more about The Oceanography Society and the TOS Early Career Award visit: https://tos.org/early-career-award.

The Oceanography Society (TOS) was founded in 1988 to advance oceanographic research, technology, and education, and to disseminate knowledge of oceanography and its application through research and education. TOS promotes the broad understanding of oceanography, facilitates consensus-building across all the disciplines of the field, and informs the public about ocean research, innovative technology, and educational opportunities throughout the spectrum of oceanographic inquiry. TOS welcomes members from all nations. Any individual, business, or organization interested in ocean sciences is encouraged to join and to participate in the activities and benefits of the society. For more information visit https://tos.org.


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