CNR Environmental Science Major Awarded Fulbright Scholarship
Senior Environmental Science major Daniel Song was watching the second round of the NCAA basketball tournament when he found the thick manila envelope addressed to him from the Fulbright Foundation.
“My heart skipped a beat,” he said. “I think it suffices to say I was ecstatic.”
Song, whose research has previously taken him to the Gump Station on Moorea, Cyprus, Turkey, and Washington D.C., will be spending a year as a Fulbright Scholar studying plants and bees on a Greek Island. The project is an extension of work he did last summer on the relationship between pollinators and a pesky species called the Yellow Star Thistle that has invaded California.
“Essentially I’ll be sitting outside in a thicket of thorny Yellow Star Thistle observing beetles, flies, bumble bees, solitary bees, and honeybees take sweet nectar from the flowers,” he said.
Peng Gong, professor of in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, has been awarded the 2008 AAG Remote Sensing Specialty Group medal for Outstanding Contributions in Remote Sensing.
The College is accepting nominations for the 2008 CNR Citation.
The College of Natural Resources Citation is CNR's highest award, honoring individuals, couples, groups or organizations such as donors, volunteers, alumni, advisory board members, or friends of the College who have made extraordinary contributions to the CNR community.
Recipients are honored for their extraordinary commitment of time, sharing their expertise, advocacy and outreach, and/or private support to the College, its students, and its programs. The Citation recognizes those who have made a significant impact and have demonstrated an exceptional commitment the mission of the College.
Nominations must be received by Friday, March 14, 2008.
Nominating letters must include statements of the nominee’s general background and specific contributions to the College.
Each nomination letter or supporting letter should be no more than three pages.
Nominations can include multiple letters for the same nominee, or one lead nominator letter who solicits supporting letters from colleagues that add substance to the nominations.
Nominations submitted last year may be considered. Nominators from last year can resubmit additional information to nominations submitted in the previous year.
Submit nominations to: Adrienne Hink
UC Berkeley - CNR Dean’s Office
101 Giannini Hall #3100
Berkeley, CA. 94720-3100 ahink@nature.berkeley.edu
(510) 643-9678
Mark Tanouye receives award to investigate brain diseases
Mark A. Tanouye, professor of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, recently received one of six 2008 Neuroscience of Brain Disorders Awards from the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience.
Peggy Lemaux, professor of Plant and Microbial Biology and cooperative extension specialist, has been selected to be a 2007 Crop Science Society of America fellow.
Two CNR faculty members have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Robert L. Fischer, professor of plant and microbial biology, was recognized "for distinguished contributions to the study of epigenetic processes through pioneering work on plant gene imprinting, DNA demethylation and Polycomb group proteins."
Richard B. Norgaard, professor of agricultural and resource economics and of energy and resources, was recognized "for path-breaking contributions to environmental and ecological economics and for improving the scientific content of public and policy discourse on sustainability and the future."
In all, there were 10 fellows from UC Berkeley among the 471 academics honored in 2007 "for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications."
The Sierra Club lauds UC Berkeley for Society and Environment major
CNR's new Society and Environment major helped propel the University of California system to the #4 slot in Sierra magazine's new story on "green" colleges and universities. The feature, "Ten that Get It", in its November/December issue also congratulates the UC system on its "green policy."
"When such a large and important educational institution takes such significant, systemic steps toward addressing global warming it can’t help but influence the thinking of many tens of thousands of students,” said Bob Sipchen, the magazine’s editor-in-chief. “If students carry these strong environmental values back to their communities and into their careers, UC’s initiative will reverberate globally."
PMB Assistant Professor Awarded Packard Fellowship
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation has named CNR’s Arash Komeili one of 20 new promising scientific researchers as a 2007 recipient of Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering. He will receive an unrestricted research grant of $625,000 over five years.
Komeili, an assistant professor in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, is being honored for his work in elucidating the molecular mechanisms behind the formation of nanometer-sized magnetite crystals within the magnetosome organelles of magnetotactic bacteria.
CNR Student Receives Environmental Leadership Award
By Yasmin Anwar, UC Berkeley Media Relations
A UC Berkeley student is among six young North American environmental leaders to win a 2007 Brower Youth Award for her work in boosting funding for environmental sustainability on the UC Berkeley campus.
Rachel Barge, 21, a junior majoring in conservation and resource studies and minoring in forestry, has been honored for spearheading such campus projects as The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF), which finances clean energy and transportation, water conservation and improved recycling and composting programs.
Claire Kremen, a conservation biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, whose applied research advances the fields of ecology, biodiversity and agriculture, has been named a MacArthur Fellow, one of 24 nationwide "genius" award recipients announced Tuesday (Sept. 25) by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
In DC, we got the chance to meet many professionals who are involved in a broad range of environmental work—from someone at the World Bank to someone who works at Capitol Hill.
I loved the leadership training that we received in Washington DC. It really changed my life in that I realized what my strengths are and what I want to do in my future career. I finally accepted that you don't have to be a scientist to participate in conservation efforts. I fully realized my deep interest in green business and entrepreneurship and I now know that's where I want to put my energy and time.
Adjunct NST prof honored by American Chemical Society
Adjunct professor of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology Elizabeth C. Theil has been awarded the 2008 Francis P. Garvan- John M. Olin Medal by the American Chemistry Society.
The award recognizes distinguished service to chemistry by women chemists, and was established in 1936 through a donation from Francis P. Garvan and has been supported by a fund set up at that time. The award was sponsored by W. R. Grace and Co. from 1979 to 1983. The Olin Corp.began sponsoring the award in 1984.
On overview of Dr. Theil's work can be found here.
Sankar Sridaran just graduated from CNR in May, but he is already setting out to make a difference in the world. The molecular environmental biology major and SPUR and honors student was chosen for a competitive fellowship working for the Parasitic Diseases Division at the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta.
Sridaran’s work at CDC Atlanta will focus on the development and assessment of molecular markers for drug resistance in malaria causing Plasmodia. He says, “The project was so appealing to me because it is a perfect combination of the interest I developed in evolution while working on my thesis project with Dr. Specht but also integrates my interest in public health and my other long term career goals.”
Several CNR faculty and alumni from the department of Agriculture and Resource Economics were honored with awards from the American Agricultural Economics Association at that group's 2007 annual meeting in July.
Professor David Zilberman and his co-editors were given the association’s Quality of Communication Award for their book on the regulation of GMOs, Regulating Agricultural Biotechnology.
Professor Jeffery LaFrance was named the American Agricultural Economics Association Fellow.
Meridith Fowlie, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Michigan who received her Ph.D. at ARE in 2006, was honored for her Outstanding Ph.D. Dissertation, "Firm Behavior in Pollution Permit Markets." (See related working paper.) Professors Jeffrey Perloff and Severin Borenstein were her advisers.
Finally, The Publication of Enduring Quality Award was given to Robert Innes, who earned his ARE Ph.D. in 1986, currently a professor at the University of Arizona.
Maggi Kelly to be inducted into the California Hall of Fame
Nina "Maggi" Kelly, along with eight other former Cal student-athletes, has been selected for induction into the California Athletic Hall of Fame.
Kelly is an associate specialist in Cooperative Extension, adjunct associate professor of ecosystem sciences, and director for the Geospatial Imaging & Informatics Facility.
She played for the Cal women's water polo team at the club level from 1983-87 before it was elevated to varsity status. A member of the U.S. National team for 10 years (1987-94, 1997-98), she competed in four World Championships and was named the USA Water Polo Female Athlete of the Year in 1992. Kelly was also the top U.S. goal-scorer at the World Championships in Rome in 1994.
Inducted into the U.S. Water Polo Hall of Fame in 2006, Kelly was a part of three national club championships while playing for the Bears. After receiving her bachelor's degree in geography, Kelly earned a master's degree from North Carolina in 1991 and a Ph.D. from Colorado in 1996.
David Winickoff, assistant professor of bioethics and society, has been selected to be a Greenwall Faculty Scholar in Bioethics after an extensive process of reviews and interviews.
Winickoff will be working on a project called “Bioethics and Property Relations in University Life Science Research.” The Greenwall Faculty Scholar Program is a prestigious career development award to enable young faculty members to carry out research in the field of bioethics.
Carolyn Merchant Awarded Berkeley Research Futures Grant
Professor Carolyn Merchant from the department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management has been awarded the spring 2007 Berkeley Research Futures Grant. The grant, funded by the office of the chancellor for research as well as CNR, will provide $50,000 in support of Merchant’s work, “Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Emerging Technologies.”
Two CNR postdoctoral students have been named Miller Research Fellows for 2007.
Tessa Burch-Smith from the department of Plant and Microbial Biology and Corrie Saux Moreau from the department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management were nominated on the basis of their academic achievement and the potential of their scientific research.
Burch-Smith, who will be working with faculty sponsor Professor Patricia Zambryski, is studying plasmodesmata aperture regulation in plant cells.
Saux Moreau, sponsored by Professors Craig Moritz (Integrative Biology) and George Roderick (ESPM), is studying the population structure and ecology of ants in the Australian wet tropics.
Nancy Amy, Kathleen Ryan honored with College Distinguished Teaching Award
Two of CNR's finest teachers -- one known for teaching the largest lecture on campus, the other for recently creating one of Berkeley's most intimate courses -- have been named the recipients of the College of Natural Resources 2007 Distinguished Teaching Award.
Nancy Amy, associate professor of nutrition, and Kathleen Ryan, assistant professor of microbial biology, share the honor. The awards were presented May 20 at commencement.
Professor David Zilberman and Board Member Jim Lugg Honored with CNR Citation
The College of Natural Resources Citation is CNR’s highest award and was created to honor groups or individuals who have made exceptional contributions to CNR. This year’s recipients are advisory board member Jim Lugg and Professor David Zilberman.
Jim Lugg, president of FreshExpress and an alum of CNR, has been a major supporter of the college. “Jim Lugg is one of the advisory board’s most active members, continuing on the executive committee following his chairmanship, as co-chair of the development committee,” writes nominator Kass Green. “He is always willing to participate in student events and lend his professionalism and expertise to the student experience. His love and enthusiasm for his profession are infectious.”
David Zilberman, professor of agriculture and resource economics, has been affiliated with CNR for the last 34 years dating from when he enrolled in the ARE Ph.D. program. He has served as the director of the Giannini Foudation of Agriculture and Resource Economics and established the Center for Sustainable Resource Development, among other achievements. Professor Anthony Fisher writes of Zilberman: “David has, over the many years of his association with the College, made an extraordinary series of contributions, that are in substantial measure responsible for the quality, the visibility and the reputation of the college today.”
Assistant Professor Auffhammer Receives CNR Young Faculty/CE Specialist Award
Assistant Professor Max Auffhammer may be a relative newcomer on the Berkeley campus, but he has already made a big difference. Auffhammer, who has taught at Berkeley since 2003, is the recipient of this year’s CNR Young Faculty/CE Specialist Award. He has a joint appointment in the department of Agriculture and Resource Economics and International Area Studies. Auffhammer has developed two new courses as well as a seminar for students completing their dissertation. His students say “Amazing Max is one of the best professors I’ve had at Berkeley; he’s down to earth, accessible, friendly, and funny.”
In addition, Auffhammer has made significant contributions in research. “He has at least seven publications and many other papers under review or in progress. He has received at least ten grants to support his research, and his reputation is increasing yearly,” writes ARE department chair Jeff Perloff. “He is off to a good start on a research career, extremely hard working, an outstanding teacher, a spectacularly cooperative member of the faculty, and generous in his public service.”
Auffhammer's "Brown Cloud" study named "Paper of the Year" by PNAS
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has awarded the Cozzarelli Prize to ARE assistant professor Max Auffhammer and his co-authors for their 2006 paper showing that reductions of human-generated air pollution could create unexpected agricultural benefits in one of the world's poorest regions.
Auffhammer, along with co-authors from UC San Diego, analyzed historical data on Indian rice harvests and found that harvests would have been 20 to 25 percent higher during some years in the 1990s if certain negative climate impacts had not occurred.
Just six papers, out of the 3,300 research articles published in PNAS in 2006, were chosen for the Cozzarelli prize.
The award, originally named the "Paper of the Year Prize," recognizes recently published PNAS articles of scientific excellence and originality. The lab motto of Nick Cozzarelli, the late Editor-in-Chief, was "Blast ahead," as he encouraged researchers to push the envelope of discovery. In his honor, this year the award was renamed the Cozzarelli Prize.
"Young Bear" Mayra Ceja honored for service to her community
Mayra Ceja, a senior environmental economics major, has had a busy four years at Cal.
As well as being a full time student, she has worked at the College of Natural Resources since her freshman year, founded the Phi Nu Xi Sorority, volunteered for CalSo and the “fresh faces” student blog, and spent ten to fifteen hours per week working to help under-served high school students get into college.
This month, Mayra's dedication is being rewarded with the Young Bear award. Established in 1979, the Young Bear award recognizes exceptional achievement in community service.
Across the board, CNR doctoral programs ranked among the top
The faculty of each of CNR's departments have been ranked among the top 5 in their fields, according to a new "Scholarly Productivity Index," with the Plant Biology program ranked #1 in the nation.
The rankings, assessed by the private company Academic Analytics, are based on measurements of faculty productivity in terms of publications, federal-grant dollars awarded, and honors and awards.
Data from the 2005 rankings -- which are not without their share of controversy -- were published and explained in depth in The Chronicle of Higher Education (available by subscription here).
UC Berkeley doctoral programs from within CNR received impressive rankings:
Chancellor's Outstanding Staff Award honors ESPM Grad Advisor
Student-affairs officer Richard Battrick drew a collective nomination from all the grad students in his department, who see him as a "beloved advocate, counselor, and mentor." Writes nominator Jennifer Imamura: "I've never seen anyone so adept at solving bureaucratic messes, and who does so so willingly."
Battrick has made himself an invaluable resource in his five years at ESPM, having "mastered the areas of interest of nearly all of the 80 faculty members, the courses offered to students each semester, and indeed the names and faces of each of the 200 graduate students," his nominators say. More than one student said that meeting Battrick was an inducement to attend Berkeley, because he made an immediate positive impression with his "warmth, extreme helpfulness, and genuineness" during the application process.
Students frequently line up to see the adviser, who keeps a bowl of candy on his desk for his visitors, welcoming them with "his reassuring smile and his entire persona, one ideally suited for calming even the most distressed graduate student panicked over a late registration fee or a missing letter in their dissertation."
The World Technology Network has honored Professor Inez Fung with the World Technology Prize for the Environment. Fung is co-director of the Berkeley Institute of the Environment, professor of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and of Atmospheric Science in the Department of Earth & Planetary Science.
Garrison Sposito honored by American Chemical Society
Garrison Sposito was honored in September at a four-day symposium of the American Chemical Society, at which more than 60 scientific papers were presented on the theme of applying rigorous methods in physical chemistry to understand complex processes in environmental systems, a major thrust in Professor Sposito’s scientific career. Next year, a special issue of the geochemistry journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta will be published in honor of his research accomplishments.
Nancy Lee Peluso, CNR professor of Society and Environment, and program director of the Berkeley Workshop in Environmental Politics at the Institute for International Studies, has been awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship for 2006-07. Peluso was one of 187 Guggenheim fellows selected from a pool of nearly 3,000 applicants.
Dean Paul Ludden and the College of Natural Resources are very happy to announce the awardees for this year's CNR Citation, Young Faculty/CE Specialist, and Staff Recognition Awards.
Congratulations to:
Bob Heald, winner of the 2006 CNR Citation
Max Moritz, winner of the 2006 Young Faculty/CE Specialist Award
Nancy Schimmelman and Brian McClendon, winners of the 2006 CNR Staff Recognition Award!
Please join us at the annual CNR Awards Ceremony which will be held on Thursday, May 11, from 3-5pm at the Alumni House. If you will attend, please RSVP to geralyn@nature.berkeley.edu.
The selection committees would like to thank you for all of the nominations received. With so many great nominations, the selection process was difficult!
A special thanks to committee chairs: Barbara Allen-Diaz, Peter Quail, and Gail Vawter; and committee members: Kathryn Baldwin, Len Bjeldanes, Inez Fung, Cici Hyde, Maggi Kelly, Monica Lin, Sandy Purcell, Steve Ruzin, Robin Scott, Dave Sunding, Chris Vulpe, Steve Welter, and Alix Zwane.
Claire Kremen, a conservation biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, whose applied research advances the fields of ecology, biodiversity and agriculture, has been named a MacArthur Fellow, one of 24 nationwide "genius" award recipients announced Tuesday (Sept. 25) by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Nina "Maggi" Kelly, along with eight other former Cal student-athletes, has been selected for induction into the 
air pollution could create unexpected agricultural benefits in one of the world's poorest regions.
Student-affairs officer Richard Battrick drew a collective nomination from all the grad students in his department, who see him as a "beloved advocate, counselor, and mentor." Writes nominator Jennifer Imamura: "I've never seen anyone so adept at solving bureaucratic messes, and who does so so willingly."
The World Technology Network has honored Professor Inez Fung with the World Technology Prize for the Environment. Fung is co-director of the Berkeley Institute of the Environment, professor of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and of Atmospheric Science in the Department of Earth & Planetary Science.
