Cambridge, Md. (November 2, 2009) – Three University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science researchers received major awards from the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) at the organization’s annual conference this week in Portland, Oregon. Drs. Walter Boynton and Michael Kemp shared the Odum Lifetime Achievement Award, and Senior Faculty Research Assistant Carolyn Keefe received CERF’s Distinguished Service award.
The Odum Award, named for three outstanding ecological scientists in the Odum family, is a fitting tribute for Drs. Boynton and Kemp, as the award honors both the excellent individual accomplishments and the combined contributions of the two scientists.
The award citation notes that Drs. Boynton and Kemp have demonstrated outstanding abilities to identify and tackle difficult questions and provide insightful analyses of a wide range of issues including eutrophication, oxygen depletion, nutrient budgeting, and food web structure. They have developed approaches and tools for addressing real world questions that are widely used today. One clearly defined concept that can be attributed to their collective efforts is that benthic pelagic coupling is key to the ability of estuaries to derive so much more net ecosystem productivity per unit nutrient delivery compared to lakes and oceans.
In their more than 30 years of collaboration, they have been jointly awarded at least 35 grants and contracts and produced more than 50 joint peer-reviewed publications together.
“Walter and Michael’s collaboration is a tribute to their lifelong work and dedication to expanding our knowledge of our world’s coastal waters,” said UMCES President Dr. Donald F. Boesch. “They are a shining example how the UMCES faculty are actively building inter-laboratory partnerships to broaden our body of scientific understanding.”
CERF’s Distinguished Service award was awarded to Carolyn Keefe of the UMCES Chesapeake Biological Laboratory. The award was established in 1993 to recognize key people who have made the Federation function and succeed. Ms. Keefe currently serves as Treasurer of CERF and chair’s the organization’s Finance Committee.
Founded in 1971, CERF is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing human understanding and appreciation of estuaries and coasts. Membership consists of approximately 1,650 academic researchers, public-sector managers, teachers, consultants and students.
The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science is the University System of Maryland’s environmental research institution. UMCES researchers are helping improve our scientific understanding of Maryland, the region and the world through its three laboratories – Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Solomons, Appalachian Laboratory in Frostburg, and Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge – and the Maryland Sea Grant College.
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