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Steven Chown to be awarded the Martha T Muse Prize at IPY-OSC
Professor Chown will be awarded the Prize and deliver the Muse Lecture at the IPY Oslo Science Conference in June 2010. He is based at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, and is a widely cited authority on invasive species and the effect of climate change and human interactions on Antarctica.
The Martha T Muse Prize for Science and Policy in Antarctica is awarded for the first time this year. An outstanding researcher and world renowned advisor to the Antarctic Treaty System, Professor Steven Chown of Stellenbosch University, South Africa, was been named the inaugural recipient of the prestigious Martha T. Muse Prize for Science and Policy in Antarctica (http://www.museprize.org/) in December. The Selection Committee of leading Antarctic scientists and policy makers cited his outstanding contributions to both science and policy in Antarctica.
Professor Chown plays a critical role in Antarctic policy by leading the delegation of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) at the annual Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings (ATCMs). His advice and leadership has been pivotal in advising policy makers in a wide range of environmental stewardship issues before the ATCM's Committee on Environmental Protection. Steven Chown will also be a guest of honor at the SCAR Open Science Conference in Buenos Aires in August 2010.
The Martha T. Muse Prize (www.museprize.org) is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated excellence in Antarctic science or policy and who show clear potential for sustained and significant contributions that enhance our understanding of Antarctic science or policy and promote Antarctica's preservation for future generations. The Prize, which carries with it a
US$100,000 monetary award, is supported by the Tinker Foundation and administered by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), a nongovernmental interdisciplinary scientific body of the International Council of Science (ICSU). The support of the US Polar Research Board and the National Academy of Sciences were instrumental in establishing the Prize. The Prize is inspired by Martha T. Muse's passion for Antarctica and is a legacy of the International Polar Year 2007-2008.
Steven Chown is Director of the Centre for Invasion Biology and a Professor in the Department of Botany and Zoology at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. He has published more than 250 research papers in the primary scientific literature and written and co‐authored numerous books and book chapters. His research interests span a broad range of topics, including invasion biology, biogeographic and macroecological studies, evolutionary physiology, spatial ecology, as well as the integration of these fields. He has major interests in Antarctic and sub‐Antarctic biology and conservation.
A Press Release with further details has just been issued and can be downloaded from the SCAR website.
Last updated: 14.04.2010
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