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The prize of US$35.000,00 will enable the winner to continue developing methods to make extinction, migration, radiation and genetic impoverishment visible in space and time using molecular methods, new classification algorithms and GIS (Geographical Information System) applications.
The Nielsen Prize, which is the only award in the world for work in biodiversity informatics, is given each year by the Governing Board of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). The Prize honors the memory of Ebbe Schmidt Nielsen, a Dane, who was a renowned entomologist and avid promoter of biodiversity informatics. He was a founding member of the GBIF Governing Board, on which he represented Australia. Unfortunately, he died of a heart attack on his way to the first meeting of the Governing Board.
The first time the Prize was awarded (2002), it was presented to the winner in Canberra, Australia, where Ebbe Nielsen had lived and worked for nearly 20 years. The second (2003) Prize was awarded in Nielsen’s native Denmark in conjunction with the sixth meeting of the Governing Board and the inauguration of the GBIF Secretariat building in Copenhagen.
Speaking of the award, Dr. Schröder said, "To receive the 2003 Ebbe Nielsen Prize is a great honor for me. I’m very grateful to the GBIF Governing Board and the GBIF Science Committee for awarding me this prestigious Prize which honors the memory of Dr. Ebbe Schmidt Nielsen, an entomologist whose work I deeply respect and value. I feel sorry that I never met him personally."
Dr. Schröder’s invention is very important in agriculture. Bees pollinate about a third of all crop species, but many bee species are becoming extinct.
For scientists to be able to study pollination and attempt to find replacement bee species, they must be able to identify the bees with which they work. However, such identifications are extremely difficult for non-specialists. Dr. Schöder’s application will enable almost anyone with a digital camera and a computer to identify bees.
On the occasion, Dr. Schröder held a lecture on 30 April:
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