2011 Recipient and Nominees

Dr. William F. Fitzgerald

It is with great pleasure that we announce that Dr. William F. Fitzgerald, from the University of Connecticut, is the 2011 recipient of the Kathryn R. Mahaffey Lifetime Achievement Award in Mercury Research.

As clearly outlined in his nomination letter, Dr. Fitzgerald’s body of work is central to our ability to make trace-level measurements of mercury species in aquatic, atmospheric, and terrestrial ecosystems; the fundamental understanding of the global mercury cycle and how it has been altered by human activities; knowledge of the exposures of humans and wildlife to mercury; and the critical need for a better understanding of the transport, transformations and fate of mercury in marine environments. For these efforts, Dr. Fitzgerald has received numerous awards and acknowledgements from his peers, including the Clair C. Patterson Award and Medal from the Geochemical Society, and the University of Connecticut’s Highest Faculty Honor, the Board of Trustees Distinguished Professorship, among others. We are pleased that Dr. Fitzgerald may now add this inaugural lifetime achievement award from our community to his list of recognitions.

We received 8 nomination packages for this award. These packages reflected the phenomenal accomplishments and impact that these individuals have made in their careers in mercury research.

We are extremely honoured to announce the other distinguished nominees this year:
(in alphabetical order)

Mr. Nicolas S. Bloom
URS Corporation

Prof. Jerry Keeler
University of Michigan

Dr. Steve Lindberg
Corporate Fellow Emeritus,
Environmental Sciences
Division, Oak Ridge
National Laboratory

Prof. Jozef M. Pacyna
Norwegian Institute
for Air Research

Dr. Wei-Ping Pan
Western Kentucky
University

Dr. John W. M. Rudd
Department of
Fisheries and Oceans
Canada; currently R&K
Research, B.C. Canada

Prof. James G. Wiener
University of
Wisconsin-La Crosse

Nomination packages were submitted in early 2011. Each dossier was reviewed by four senior leaders in environmental science who were selected by the 10th ICMGP Scientific Steering Committee based on their qualifications as impartial experts in the global research community. The review committee faced the difficult task of selecting a recipient for this award, given the high quality of nominees and their exemplary service to the mercury community. The review committee selected Dr. Fitzgerald on the basis of outstanding contributions in three areas: scientific research; mentorship; and, demonstrable impact on government policy and public outreach.

We encourage everyone to come and join this celebration of Dr. Fitzgerald, and all of our outstanding nominees.