On Tuesday, the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) honored Dr. Eleanor Sterling with a prestigious award at the 26th International Congress for Conservation Biology, held in Baltimore.
Dr. Sterling, who is the director of the Museum’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, received the 2013 Distinguished Service Award for “extraordinary contributions to the conservation of biological diversity.” The awards committee highlighted Sterling’s broad impact through hands-on conservation work around the world, from Madagascar to the central Pacific, as well as her commitment to public education through exhibitions, books, and lectures.
"It’s a terrific and well-deserved honor, and it demonstrates the kind of impact and influence Eleanor, and of course the CBC, have in the international conservation community," says Michael J. Novacek, provost of science at the Museum and curator in the Division of Paleontology. "Eleanor is truly a person concerned with the world at large, who has attracted many collaborators who believe in her and in the work they are doing together."
The SCB’s Distinguished Service Award is the society’s highest honor. Sterling, who received her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees from Yale University, joins a group of honorees that includes E. O. Wilson, Al Gore, and Sir David Attenborough.
Learn more about Dr. Sterling's work in a video profile.