Given to 60 individuals, the award is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on young professionals at the outset of their independent research careers, according to a press release from the White House. Recipients receive five-year research grants. Mantua of Seattle is a research scientist with the Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Oceans (JISAO) based at the University of Washington. He is part of a research group [Pacific Northwest Climate Impacts Group] helping regional policy makers and citizens understand the ways climate change and variability could affect water supply and other natural resources, such as fisheries. The lead author of an influential paper describing the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, a climate cycle that influences both Alaska and Northwest salmon, Mantua has since co-authored several articles that examine the ways climate affects other marine ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest. He continues to work with fishery scientists and managers to better understand the variations in pacific salmon abundance along the entire West Coast. Mantua will receive $10,000 in each of the next five years from NOAA / Department of Commerce. "We honor these outstanding young scientists and engineers for their research contributions, for their promise, and for their commitment to broader societal goals," President Clinton said. "They will do much to shape our society and advance our national interests in the twenty-first century" .... Please address any comments, suggestions or questions to: GLOBEC Webmaster |