In 2000, PICES Governing Council
approved the establishment of a new award, the Wooster Award.
The award is named in honour of Professor
Warren S. Wooster, a principal founder and the
first Chairman of PICES, and a world-renowned researcher and
statesman in the area of climate variability and fisheries
production. The award is given annually to an individual who
has made significant scientific contributions to North Pacific
marine science, such as understanding and predicting the role
of human and climate interactions on marine ecosystem production.
The award consists of a plaque
with the recipient's name engraved on it. A large plaque is
maintained at the PICES Secretariat with the names of all
the award winners over the years. The recipient will also
receive financial support to attend the next PICES Annual
Meeting at which the award is given.
The main criteria
for selection are sustained excellence in research,
teaching, administration or a combination of the three in
the area of North Pacific marine science. Special consideration
is given to individuals who have worked in integrating the
disciplines of marine science. Individuals who were or are
currently actively involved in PICES activities are preferred
but the award may be given to any suitable candidate, including
those from outside PICES member countries.
Nominations are solicited
annually from the PICES community although the award may not
be given every year if a suitable candidate is not found.
The Selection Committee consists of the PICES Science Board
and the PICES Chairman, and the Award is given by the PICES
Chairman at an Opening Session during the PICES Annual Meeting.
Nominations of individuals not selected are rolled over to
the next year in order to keep a large pool of potential candidates.
We are now soliciting nominations
for the 2011 Wooster Award. The closing date for nominations
is March 15, 2011.
The award will be presented during the Opening Session of
PICES-2011 in Khabarovsk, Russia.
Wooster
Award recipients
2010
Jeffrey
Polovina (U.S.A.)
At
the 2010 PICES Annual Meeting in Portland,
U.S.A., it was announced that Dr. Jeffrey
Polovina (NOAA, Pacific Islands Fisheries
Science, U.S.A.) was the recipient of the
10th annual Wooster Award.
Dr. Polovina’s groundbreaking contributions
to climate and marine ecosystem research
epitomize the PICES approach of integrating
oceanographic factors and biological modeling
to significantly advance ecosystem management.
The scope of Dr. Polovina’s innovative
scientific research is wide and deep. With
over 115 publications to his name, Dr. Polovina
has demonstrated incredible breadth in his
theoretical, analytical, and direct approaches
to tackle some of the most challenging questions
about marine ecosystems and the species
that inhabit them.
At the 2009 PICES
Annual Meeting in Jeju, Korea, it was
announced that Dr. Kuh Kim (Pohang University
of Science and Technology) was the recipient
of the 9th annual Wooster
Award.
Dr. Kim is an internationally
distinguished physical oceanographer.
At
the 2008 PICES Annual Meeting in Dalian,
PR China, it was announced that Dr. Charles
B. Miller (Oregon State University, U.S.A.)
was the recipient of the 8th
annual Wooster Award.
Dr. Charles Miller
is a nationally and internationally distinguished
biological oceanographer specializing in
studies of zooplankton.
At the 2007 PICES
Annual Meeting in Victoria, Canada, it
was announced that Dr. Kenneth L. Denman
(Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Canadian
Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis)
was the recipient of the 7th
annual Wooster Award.
Dr. Denman is world-renowned
interdisciplinary ocean scientist, who
has authored more than 75 primary journal
articles, book chapters or review papers
on air-sea interaction, lower trophic-level
biological production, and the role of
the ocean in the global climate system.
At
the 2006 PICES Annual Meeting in Yokohama,
Japan, it was announced that Dr. Makoto
Kashiwai (Tokyo University of Agriculture,
Japan) was the recipient of the 6th
annual Wooster Award.
Dr. Makoto Kashiwai
is an active leader in fisheries oceanography,
on theoretical and observational studies
of the structure and variability of the
Oyashio, and has contributed greatly to
the goal of international cooperation and
collaboration on North Pacific Ocean research
in general, and through PICES specifically.
At the 2005 PICES
Annual Meeting in Vladivostok, Russia,
it was announced that the late Dr. Daniel
Ware (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) was
the recipient of the 5th
annual Wooster Award.
Dr. Ware was Adjunct
Professor at both the Simon Fraser University
and the University of British Columbia.
Following his retirement from Fisheries
and Oceans Canada in 2000, he was the
President of Aquatic Ecosystem Associates,
and Chairman of the Science Panel of the
Herring Conservation and Research Society.
Dr. Ware was the first PICES Science Board
Chairman.
At
the 2004 PICES Annual Meeting in Honolulu,
U.S.A., it was announced that Dr. Paul H.
LeBlond (University of British Columbia,
Canada) was the recipient of the 4th
annual Wooster Award.
Dr. Paul LeBlond
has had a distinguished scientific, educational
and public service career, which has contributed
to the marine sciences generally and specifically
to many of the goals of PICES.
At the 2003 PICES
Annual Meeting in Seoul, Korea, it was
announced that Dr. William (Bill) G. Pearcy
(Oregon State University, U.S.A.) was
the recipient of the 3rd
annual Wooster Award.
Dr. William Pearcy
is a world-renowned authority on many
aspects of biological oceanography, in
particular his extensive work on fishes
and squids in the North Pacific.
At the 2002 PICES
Annual Meeting in Qingdao, PR China, it
was announced that Dr. Yutaka Nagata (University
of Tokyo, Japan) was the recipient of the
2nd annual Wooster Award.
Dr. Nagata has demonstrated
sustained excellence in science, teaching
and administration of marine science in
the North Pacific region.
At
the 2001 PICES Annual Meeting in in Victoria,
Canada, it was announced that the late Dr.
Michael M. Mullin (Scripps Institution of
Oceanography, U.S.A.) was the recipient
of the 1st annual Wooster
Award.
Mike’s
excellence in research and teaching, and
his broad involvement in North Pacific marine
science spanned many nations, disciplines
and scales.