The award is given annually to a senior ecologist for sustained and distinguished contributions to the science of ecology and biological sciences. This year's award will be presented during ESA's 86th annual meeting in Madison, Wis., on Aug. 9.
Ehrlich, the Bing Professor of Population Studies at Stanford, was cited for "contributions that have revolutionized the thoughts of the scientific community about population biology, density dependence and coevolution."
ESA described Ehrlich as "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."
"I'm especially pleased with the Eminent Ecologist Award," comments Ehrlich, "since the ESA is the organization of my closest colleagues. Like most scientists, it is the opinion of scientific peers that means the most to me."
ESA is a 7,800-member scientific organization based in Washington, D.C., whose mission is to promote the responsible application of ecological data and principles to solving environmental problems. ESA publishes three journals - Ecology, Ecological Applications and Ecological Monographs.
"ESA has been increasingly active in bringing the ecological dimensions of the human predicament to the general public and decision makers," adds Ehrlich. "It also has been training environmental scientists to interact well with the press and Congress - an absolutely essential step if the United States is to take advantage of the expertise of its superb community of ecologists.
By Mark Shwartz
COMMENT: Nadine Lymn, Ecological Society of America 202-833-8773, ext. 205; nadine@esa.org
EDITORS: For details about the Ecological Society of America's Aug. 9 annual meeting in Madison, Wis., visit the ESA website at http://esa.sdsc.edu/madison.
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http://www.stanford.edu/dept/biology/faculty/ehrlich.html
http://www.stanford.edu/group/CCB/index.htm
http://esa.sdsc.edu
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http://news.stanford.edu/
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