Each Pew Fellow receives $150,000 to conduct a three-year conservation project, and they join the world's leading network for ocean science and conservation. Celebrating its 15th anniversary, the Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation has selected 89 Pew Fellows from over 20 countries who have completed projects across the globe. Their fellowships are funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts.
"The Pew Fellows chosen this year are remarkable individuals, and they join a network that has been 15 years in the making," says Dr. Ellen Pikitch, Executive Director of the Pew Institute for Ocean Science at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School, and a Pew Fellow herself. "These are true 'heroes of the sea,' dedicated to conserving and restoring the largest and most biologically rich place on earth."
An international committee of marine specialists selected the 2005 Pew Fellows based on their potential to protect ocean environments. Each Pew Fellow will tackle a unique challenge, as outlined below:
Dr. Shankar Aswani, an Associate Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, will use his Pew Fellowship to work with communities in the western Pacific's Solomon Islands. Through education and collaboration, he aims to establish a network of Marine Protected Areas designed to preserve resources and vulnerable species such as coconut crabs, sea turtles, and sea cows.
Dr. Miriam Fernandez, an Associate Professor at the Pontifica Catholic University of Chile, seeks to understand and protect the earliest stages of marine life. By ana
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Contact: Jim Harper
jharper@rsmas.miami.edu
305-421-4165
Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation
7-Feb-2005