Newsroom

SAN DIEGO - The third annual Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest will be awarded to Jane Lubchenco, a marine ecologist at Oregon State University who addresses political, economic, and health issues in her studies of marine ecosystems, ecological causes and consequences of global change, and marine reserves.

Lubchenco will receive the award on Sept. 24 in San Diego. The event will include a presentation from Lubchenco entitled, "Navigating Uncharted Waters: Will Ocean Sciences Deliver What Society Needs?"

The Nierenberg Prize includes a medal and $25,000. It honors the memory of William A. Nierenberg, who led Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, as director for more than two decades. Scripps turns 100 years old on Sept. 26, 2003, and is awarding the prize during its centennial celebration.

"The Nierenberg Prize annually honors the memory of William Nierenberg by recognizing those who promote science in the public interest," said Scripps Director Charles Kennel. "Few of the world's ocean scientists have done more than Jane Lubchenco to combine the doing and the communication of good science. She is one of the world's most effective spokespersons for a new scientific strategy to preserve all the living things in our oceans."

Lubchenco is the Wayne and Gladys Valley Professor of Marine Biology at OSU. She served on the Pew Oceans Commission, and is a principal investigator for the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans.

"I'm deeply honored and absolutely thrilled to be receiving the Nierenberg Prize, especially on the occasion of Scripps's centenary," said Lubchenco. "It is a privilege to participate in Scripps's celebration of a distinguished past and present and a renewal of its commitment to the future of the world's oceans."

In 2002, Discover magazine named Lubchenco one of the 50 most important women in science. The recipient of numerous awards for science and outreach, she recently received the 2002 Heinz Award for the Environment and the 2003 Distinguished Service Award from the Society for Conservation Biology. She has been a Pew Scholar and a MacArthur Fellow, and served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is currently president of the International Council for Science, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. Lubchenco earned a doctorate from Harvard University and has received eight honorary doctoral degrees.

The Nierenberg Prize is named for William A. Nierenberg (1919-2000), a renowned national science leader who served Scripps as director from 1965 to 1986. He was widely known for his longtime national and international service, including serving on several President's Science Advisory Committees and as NATO's secretary general for scientific affairs in Paris. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1971.