Marjorie Friedrichs is the 2024 AGU Ocean Sciences Rachel Carson Lecture recipient
Summary
Marjorie Friedrichs has been named AGU's 2024 Rachel Carson Lecture recipient, an honor presented annually to recognize cutting-edge work in ocean science research by a woman scientist.
Full Description
September 24, 2024 | Marjorie Friedrichs, professor at W&M's Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences at VIMS, has been named AGU's 2024 Rachel Carson Lecture recipient. The Rachel Carson Lecture is presented annually and recognizes cutting-edge work in ocean science research by a woman scientist. Named in honor of the life and work of marine biologist, Rachel Louise Carson, this lecture is presented by a scientist whose work in the field of ocean science is particularly relevant to current societal concerns. The Carson Lecture is given during the AGU Annual Meeting, and the named lecturer is recognized at the Ocean Sciences section luncheon during AGU's annual meeting.
AGU, the world's largest Earth and space science association, celebrates individuals and teams through its annual Honors and Recognition program for their accomplishments in research, education, science communication, and outreach. These honorees have transformed our understanding of the world, impacted our everyday lives, improved our communities and contributed to solutions for a sustainable future.
Through ongoing collaborative work with Chesapeake Bay Program managers as well as fisheries and aquaculture industry members, Friedrichs continues to work to make her science relevant for Chesapeake Bay stakeholders. She uses interdisciplinary mathematical models together with monitoring data to better understand how human impacts, such as changes in global climate, urbanization and land use affect coastal water quality. Many of Friedrichs' current modeling projects involve studying long-term historical and future changes in hypoxia and coastal acidification in the Chesapeake Bay. She has also led the development of a forecasting system that produces short-term forecasts of hypoxia and acidification metrics for the Bay, and an annual hypoxia report card to track progress towards attaining water quality standards.
“I am so grateful to my colleagues who put my name forward for this award, and am so honored for the selection by AGU, a society I’ve been a member of for 35 years,” said Friedrichs. "I look forward to presenting the Rachel Carson Lecture at Fall AGU [in December] in Washington DC, and discussing how the battle against eutrophication in Chesapeake Bay is a testament to the legacy of Carson’s early work that raised so much awareness of environmental pollution and our ability to reverse its long-term detrimental effects.”
Friedrichs joins a distinguished group of scientists, leaders and communicators recognized by AGU for advancing science. Each honoree reflects AGU's vision for a thriving, sustainable and equitable future supported by scientific discovery, innovation and action.
Honorees will be recognized at AGU24, which will convene more than 25,000 attendees from over 100 countries in Washington, D.C. and online everywhere on 9-13 December 2024. Reflecting the theme 'What's Next for Science' at AGU24, the Honors Reception will recognize groundbreaking achievements that illustrate science's continual advancement, inspiring the AGU community with their stories and successes.