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 Tuesday, August 17, 2010 Scripps Oceanography Biologists Awarded Prestigious Honors Four scientists lauded with national and international honors Scripps Institution of Oceanography / University of California, San Diego  Octavio Aburto-Oropeza Postdoctoral researcher Octavio Aburto-Oropeza in Scripps' Marine Biology Research Division (MBRD) and Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (CMBC) was selected to receive a Kathryn Fuller Fellowship by the World Wildlife Fund. He was selected as the sole winner in a worldwide, merit-based competition of nearly 100 applicants. The fellowship will support Aburto-Oropeza's research in the Gulf of California concentrating on issues related to the ecological and economic importance of marine reserves. The World Wildlife Fund established the fellowships "to support postdoctoral researchers working on issues of exceptional importance and relevance to conservation in a WWF-US priority place."  Francesca Malfatti Malfatti will receive 3,000 euros (approximately $3,880) and receive the award at a prize ceremony this month in Oldendorf, Germany.  Brian Palenik Palenik studies how the genomes of photosynthetic microorganisms such as diatoms and cyanobacteria are organized and used to respond to changes in their environment from stresses such as toxic copper levels and nutrient depletion. Originally established in 1955, previous Darbaker Prize winners from Scripps have included Richard Eppley (1971) and Ralph Lewin (1957). President Barack Obama appointed Michael Tillman, a research associate in Scripps CMBC, as a member of the Marine Mammal Commission. The three-member commission is charged with the protection and conservation of marine mammals and the maintenance of the health and stability of the ecosystems upon which they depend.  Michael Tillman "I am greatly honored to have been selected by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate," said Tillman. "This appointment provides a wonderful opportunity to apply my past professional experience to the conservation of marine mammals and to continue my public service to this great nation." # # # Note to broadcast and cable producers: University of California, San Diego provides an on-campus satellite uplink facility for live or pre-recorded television interviews. Please phone or e-mail the media contact listed above to arrange an interview. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, at University of California, San Diego, is one of the oldest, largest and most important centers for global science research and education in the world. The National Research Council has ranked Scripps first in faculty quality among oceanography programs nationwide Now in its second century of discovery, the scientific scope of the institution has grown to include biological, physical, chemical, geological, geophysical and atmospheric studies of the earth as a system. Hundreds of research programs covering a wide range of scientific areas are under way today in 65 countries. The institution has a staff of about 1,300, and annual expenditures of approximately $155 million from federal, state and private sources. Scripps operates one of the largest U.S. academic fleets with four oceanographic research ships and one research platform for worldwide exploration. |
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