ESA’s 2017 Awards

ESA’s annual awards, to be presented in Portland at the August annual meeting, include high honors to four distinguished women in ecology. Awards are announced in the July issue of the ESA Bulletin.
Eminent Ecologist Award: Diana Harrison Wall
The Eminent Ecologist Award honors a senior ecologist for an outstanding body of ecological work or sustained ecological contributions of extraordinary merit.

Soil ecologist Diana Wall, the founding director of the Colorado State University’s School of Global Environmental Sustainability, is world-renowned for uncovering the importance of belowground processes, with a focus on studies in Antarctica. Read more…
For more on Diana Wall’s career and perspective, see our ESA profile here.
Eugene P. Odum Award for Excellence in Ecology Education: Kathleen Weathers
Odum Award recipients demonstrate their ability to relate basic ecological principles to human affairs through teaching, outreach, and mentoring activities. Kathleen Weathers is a senior scientist and the G. Evelyn Hutchinson chair of ecology at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, where she focuses on freshwater ecosystems. Read more…
Distinguished Service Citation: Debra Peters
The Distinguished Service Citation recognizes long and distinguished volunteer service to ESA, the scientific community, and the larger purpose of ecology in the public welfare. Debra Peters is the founding editor-in-chief of ESA’s newest journal, Ecosphere. Read more…
Commitment to Human Diversity in Ecology Award: Gillian Bowser
ESA’s Commitment to Human Diversity in Ecology Award recognizes long-standing contributions of an individual toward increasing the diversity of future ecologists through mentoring, teaching, or outreach. Gillian Bowser, research scientist in Colorado State University’s Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, is honored for her joyful and successful recruitment and retention of under-represented students to the study of ecology. Read more…