The annual John M. Prather Lectures in Biology will be presented by Jane Lubchenco, a world renowned marine ecologist, the U.S. Science Envoy for the Ocean, and University Distinguished Professor and Advisor in Marine Studies at Oregon State University. A MacArthur “genius” and an expert in oceans, climate change, and interactions between humans and the environment.
Lubchenco is also well-versed in public policy and outreach. The first woman to be appointed Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, she also served as Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from 2009-2013.
During her tenure at NOAA, Lubchenco strengthened the use of science in policy and management through crafting the United States’ National Ocean Policy, for example. Outside of government, she founded multiple organizations that focus on scientific research and science communication to the public, policy makers, and the media.
Lubchenco will present a public address on February 8 and a lecture on February 9, 2016.
The Prather Lecture Series on Biology is sponsored by the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, and the Science Center Lecture Series.
Prather Lecture Schedule
Monday, February 8, 6:00 pm
Public Lecture: From Doom and Gloom to Hope: Innovations in Ocean Science and Policy; Geological Lecture Hall 100; 24 Oxford Street
Tuesday, February 9, 4:00 pmThe Public Choices You Make: From Engagement to Advocacy; Geological Lecture Hall 100; 24 Oxford Street
More About Jane Lubchenco
Lubchenco earned a Ph.D. in ecology from Harvard University where she taught as an assistant professor from 1975-1977, when she moved on to Oregon State University. An accomplished researcher, eight of her numerous scientific studies—on topics including marine species distribution, abundance and diversity, the importance of no-take marine protected areas, and the responsibility of scientists to society—are so highly valued by the scientific community they are considered “science citation classics”.
Lubchenco is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences; the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; the American Philosophical Society; the Royal Society; the World academy of Science; and the Chilean Academy of Science. She has also earned numerous awards including 19 honorary doctorates, the Heinz Award for the Environment, AAAS Public Understanding of Science and Technology Award, the World Academy of Science Medal, the U.S. Coast Guard Public Service Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Marine Sanctuaries Foundation to name a few.About the Prather Lectures in Biology
The John M. Prather Lectures in Biology were founded in 1939 by a bequest of $25,000 from John McClellan Prather, A.B. in 1894. The annual income of the fund is to be used to pay for the services of eminent lecturers on botany and zoology alternatively.
