Young Investigator Awards

First, we would like to applaud all of the Young Investigators attending the 20th Biennial EEEF meeting to give posters, speed talks, and oral presentations. Among them were post docs, graduate students at all stages, and at least one undergraduate. They made commitments early on to attend, kept in touch with the organizers with input and questions, and followed through with exceptional presentations. In a word (or three), they were fabulous. This, of course, made it difficult to select those who would receive awards. We thank David Noakes and Chip Cotton for selection of the best overall presentation (the Jack Ward Memorial Award); Nathan Putman and Maria Abate for selection of the presentation best exemplifying the conservation of fishes (the R. Jan F. Smith Conservation Award); and Doug Fraser and Colette St. Mary for selection of the best poster presentation (the Gerry FitzGerald Award).

The winners are:

Brian Gallagher (University of Maryland) - receives the Jack A. Ward Memorial Prize for the best young investigator oral presentation. “Carryover effects of partial migration in white perch within the Hudson River Estuary”.

Photo (L-R) – Dr. Chip Cotton, Brian Gallagher

Katelyn Lawson (University of Florida) – receives the R. Jan F. Smith Conservation Award for the best young investigator best exemplifying fish conservation. “Life history strategies and predicting invasiveness of non-native fishes in Florida”.

Photo (L-R) –Dr. Doug Fraser, Katelyn Lawson, Dr. Colette St. Mary

Erin Reed (University of Texas at Austin) – receives the Gerald FitzGerald Award for the best poster by a young investigator. “Investigating relationships between climate, growth, and fisheries production in a commercially-exploited marine fish”.

Photo (L-R) –Dr. Nathan Putman, Erin Reed, Dr. Maria Abate

Award Founders: