Elena Litchman
The G. Evelyn Hutchinson Award honors a scientist who has made considerable contributions to knowledge in limnology and oceanography, and whose future work promises a continuing legacy of scientific excellence. Elena Litchman (Michigan State University) is the winner of the 2021 G. E. Hutchinson Award for pioneering the use of trait-based approaches to understand marine and freshwater phytoplankton community structure, biodiversity, and evolutionary ecology.
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Ryan Lepak
The Raymond L. Lindeman Award honors a young author for an outstanding peer-reviewed, English-language paper in the aquatic sciences. The 2021 Lindeman Award is being presented to Ryan Lepak (National Science Foundation & U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) for his paper, “Mercury source changes and food web shifts alter contamination signatures of predatory fish from Lake Michigan,” which reveals how long-term changes in regional and global mercury emissions and invasive species food web perturbations in Lake Michigan led to dramatic shifts in both mercury source and bioaccumulation in lake trout, challenging multiple paradigms regarding mercury bioaccumulation in aquatic food webs and demonstrating an exemplary sentinel site approach to measure reductions of mercury use.
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Ron Benner
The Alfred C. Redfield Lifetime Achievement Award honors major, long-term achievements in the fields of limnology and oceanography, including research, education, and service to the community and society. The recipient of the 2021 A.C. Redfield Lifetime Achievement Award is Ronald Benner (University of South Carolina) for transformative and enduring revelations regarding the origins, composition, and reactivity of organic matter in Earth’s ecosystems – from inland waters to the deep sea.
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Bo Gustafsson
The Ruth Patrick Award honors scientists who have applied the aquatic sciences towards solving critical environmental problems. Bo Gustafsson (Stockholm University & University of Helsinki) is the 2021 Ruth Patrick awardee for exceptional contributions to the science of nutrient enrichment, eutrophication, and hypoxia in the Baltic Sea, which has led to the development of key policies by the Helsinki Commission.
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Steven Wilhelm and Curtis Suttle
The John H. Martin Award recognizes a paper in aquatic sciences that has led to fundamental shifts in research focus and interpretation of a large body of previous observations. “Viruses and nutrient cycles in the sea” by Steven Wilhelm (University of Tennessee) and Curtis Suttle (University of British Columbia) is the 2021 Martin Award winner in recognition of the viral shunt concept in which lytic viruses redirect carbon flow to the bacterial community via the microbial loop.
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Russell Cuhel
The Ramón Margalef Award for Excellence in Education honors excellence in teaching and mentoring in the fields of limnology and oceanography. Russell Cuhel (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) is the 2021 Margalef Award winner in recognition of his outstanding 27-yr leadership in training, mentoring, and providing professional development opportunities that has promoted a diverse undergraduate presence within the aquatic sciences.
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Davi Gasparini Fernandes Cunha
The Yentsch-Schindler Early Career Award honors an early-career scientist for outstanding and balanced contributions to research, science training, and broader societal issues such as resource management, conservation, policy, and public education. Davi Gasparini Fernandes Cunha (São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo) is the 2021 Yentsch-Schindler Award winner for outstanding contributions to research on water quality, nutrient dynamics, and aquatic ecosystem health with direct translation of results to decisively influence policy makers in South America, an exceptional commitment to mentorship, and the implementation of novel citizen science-based approaches to address water management challenges.
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