|
|
|
Tuesday, September 14, 2004 Scripps Oceanography Microbiologist Receives Inaugural Tiedje Award Newly established award presented by the International Society for Microbial Ecology Scripps Institution of Oceanography / University of California, San Diego Farooq Azam, professor of marine microbiology at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Tiedje Award from the International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME). He received the award and presented a special plenary lecture at the society's tenth triennial meeting in Cancun, Mexico, on Aug. 26.ISME established the award to honor scientists who have made outstanding, long-term contributions to microbial ecology. Azam is being recognized for his "outstanding contribution on the role of microbial activities on oceanic cycles." The award is named for James Tiedje, University Distinguished Professor of Microbiology at Michigan State University, who is a groundbreaking researcher in microbial ecology and physiology and an international leader in the field of microbial ecology.  Azam is associated with Scripps's Marine Biology Research Division and Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine. His research focuses on the ecology, diversity and population dynamics of marine bacteria and viruses, particularly on the role played by marine bacteria and viruses in the oceanic carbon cycle through their control of organic matter decomposition, which can lead to a better understanding of the effects of global climate change on the marine food web. Azam received his doctorate in microbiology from the Czech Academy of Science in Prague in 1968, then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the State University of New York, Stony Brook. He arrived at Scripps as a postdoctoral fellow in marine biology in 1969, and has held research and faculty appointments at the institution. Earlier this year, Azam was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and received an honorary doctorate from Sweden's University of Kalmar. Azam's other past awards and honors include the UCSD Excellence in Research Award (1997), the G. Evelyn Hutchinson Medal from the American Society for Limnology and Oceanography (1995), and the Rosenstiel Medal in Oceanographic Sciences from the University of Miami (1984). He is a member of the American Society for Limnology and Oceanography. The International Society for Microbial Ecology, the key international society for microbial ecology and environmental microbiology, promotes communication between microbial ecologists and informs the general public about microbes in the environment. # # # # # # 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. |
|
