Tang receives W&M Alumni Fellowship award
Associate professor Kam Tang of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science has received an Alumni Fellowship award from the College of William and Mary for his contributions to teaching and scholarship.
Established in 1965 and first presented in 1968, the awards are given annually to five younger faculty members who are particularly outstanding as teachers. The awards are designed to help ensure that the high academic standards of the College are retained. In 1993, the Class of 1968, in celebration of its 25th Reunion, permanently endowed the award, which carries a $1,000 honorarium for each recipient.
The 2009 award winners will be presented at a banquet at the William and Mary Alumni House on Sept. 24. Other winners of the Alumni Fellowship awards are Christopher Del Negro, Robert S. Leventhal, Robin Looft-Wilson, and Paul F. Manna.
Tang, an associate professor of marine science at VIMS, works with graduate students and other colleagues to investigate plankton and other microscopic organisms that form the basis of the ocean's food web. His research has brought him from China to Antarctica.
Tang is the principal investigator for a recent five-year, $2.7 million, “Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education Award” from the National Science Foundation. The fellowships provide opportunities for VIMS graduate students to serve as “scientists in residence” throughout the school year in four local middle and high schools.
He also helps lead the DREAMS program—for "Diversity in Research in Environmental and Marine Sciences." Funded by the National Science Foundation and NOAA, DREAMS is a partnership between Hampton University and VIMS that provides Hampton students with comprehensive research training, career preparation, and leadership training.
In addition to advising Master’s and Ph.D. students in the School of Marine Science at VIMS, Tang has supervised numerous undergraduate interns as part of VIMS’ Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. He has also supervised several high-school interns enrolled in the Virginia Governor's School program.
Tang teaches courses on a variety of topics, including Principles of Marine Ecology, Marine Plankton Ecology, Zooplankton Ecology, Harmful Algal Blooms, and the Fundamentals of Marine Science Lab.
Tang is a member of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society, the Eco-ethics International Union, and the Union of Concerned Scientists.