April 30, 2017 - Jane Lubchenco, Distinguished University Professor and Adviser in Marine Studies in the department of integrative biology at Oregon State University, received the 2017 NAS Public Welfare Medal.
Lubchenco’s expertise on oceans, biodiversity, climate change, and interactions between the environment and human well-being has underpinned her impressive career as a scientist, educator, and public servant. As the first woman administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from 2009 to 2013, Lubchenco focused agency efforts on restoring oceans to a healthy state, maintaining sustainable and profitable fisheries, strengthening science and scientific integrity, ensuring continuity of weather and other environmental satellites, and delivering climate science information and services to inform understanding and preparedness. She led NOAA’s response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and was instrumental in calling attention to “dead zones” in the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean.
The NAS Public Welfare Medal is the Academy's most prestigious award and is presented annually to honor extraordinary use of science for the public good. Over the past 100 years the NAS Public Welfare Medal has continued to recognize those individuals who have worked tirelessly to promote science for the benefit of humanity.
