The Environment and Natural Resource Institute presents awards to recognize the achievements of faculty, extension educators, staff, and students in environmental and natural resource sciences. Winners will receive a cash prize and a plaque. There are four award categories: Career Award in Environmental and Natural Resources, Early Career Award in Environmental and Natural Resources, Innovation Award in Environmental and Natural Resources, and Outstanding Graduate Student Award.
Nominations are accepted annually in the Spring semester, and evaluated by the ENRI Awards Committee. For nomination details navigate to each award page.
2007 Award Winners
The ENRI Outstanding Graduate Student Award recognizes the academic achievement, professional potential, and disciplinary contribution of graduate students within the College of Agricultural Sciences whose scholarship focuses on issues in the domain of the environment and natural resources.
Nga Nguyen
Ms. Nguyen is a PhD candidate in Agricultural, Regional and Environmental Economics, in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology. Her research focuses on the design of markets for water pollution trading and utilizes innovations in agent-based economic models.
The ENRI Innovation Award recognizes College of Agricultural Sciences faculty, extension educators, and staff who have made outstanding and innovative contributions in the environmental and natural resources field.
The Penn State Air Quality Learning and Demonstration Center and Associates Dennis Decoteau and John Skelly
Dennis Decoteau, Professor of Horticulture and Plant Ecosystem Health in the Departments of Horticulture and Plant Pathology, and John M. Skelly, Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology, in the Department of Plant Pathology are the recipients of the 2007 ENRI Innovation Award. Professor Skelly is recognized for work as a guiding force in the development of the Air Quality Learning and Demonstration Center, which is the only site in the nation and potentially the world that is dedicated to educating the public about air pollutant effects on plants. He is also recognized for his innovative work on impacts of air pollution effects on forests and forest ecosystems. This award recognizes Dennis Decoteau’s innovative work addressing the effects of environmental stressors on plant growth and development, especially the impact of air quality on terrestrial ecosystems, and his leadership in coordinating the Air Quality Learning and Demonstration Center.
The Career Award recognizes College of Agricultural Sciences faculty, extension educators, and staff who have had a distinguished career in the environmental and natural resources field for a period of ten or more years.
David DeWalle and William Sharpe
David DeWalle, Professor of Forest Hydrology, and William Sharpe, Professor Emeritus of Forest Hydrology, in the School of Forest Resources, both are recipients of the 2007 ENRI Career Award. During his outstanding career, David DeWalle has made major contributions to understanding of forest hydrology and microclimatology, snow hydrology, and impacts of ecosystem disturbances. DeWalle is also the Director of the Pennsylvania Water Resources Research Center. Professor Sharpe is recognized for his career contributions to research and outreach on acidification of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, drinking water quality, forest regeneration, and residential water conservation. DeWalle and Sharpe have collaborated on many important projects and over the years have co-authored thirty-three refereed publications, twenty-three reports to various sponsors or extension reports, and twenty-one sponsored projects worth $2.5million.
