David Karl of the University of Hawaii to receive the David Packard Medal from MBARI

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Tara Hicks Johnson, (808) 956-3151
School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology
Posted: Nov 2, 2005


Microbial biologist and oceanographer David M. Karl of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa will be presented the David Packard Medal from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI).

The David Packard Medal and the David Packard Distinguished Lecturer program were established in 2001 by MBARI, as a means to recognize outstanding achievements and leadership in the fields of Marine Science and/or Marine Engineering.

Candidates are nominated by a committee of MBARI scientists and engineers, and then reviewed by the MBARI President and the Board of Directors. Candidate's careers are scrutinized through a rigorous process and the Distinguished Lecturer is then elected by a vote from MBARI's primary scientists and engineers.

As this years Distinguished Lecturer, David Karl will be giving a seminar titled "Microbial Oceanography: Its scope, challenges, and opportunities" at MBARI on Wednesday, November 2, 2005. The Distinguished Lecturer is invited to meet with MBARI staff members and researchers as well as members of the local scientific or engineering community at a reception at MBARI following the lecture. The David Packard Medal will be presented at this time.

"Dr. Karl's research at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa has vastly increased the world's knowledge of microorganisms in the ocean," said SOEST Interim Dean Klaus Keil. "We are delighted to count him as one of our most distinguished scientists in ocean sciences."

Karl received a bachelor's degree in biology from the State University College at Buffalo, New York, in 1971, a master's degree in biological oceanography from Florida State University in 1974, and a Ph.D. degree in oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, in 1978. He joined the faculty of the University of Hawaii as an assistant professor of oceanography in 1978 and was promoted to his current position of professor of oceanography in 1987. He has been a member of the affiliate faculty of the Bermuda Biological Station for Research since 1995. In the course of his career, Karl has spent more than three full years at sea, including 23 expeditions to Antarctica.

The medal was established in honor of the Institute‘s founder, David Packard, of the Hewlett-Packard Company. In May of 1987, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute was incorporated with a broad mandate for cutting-edge research and development in oceanography. David Packard is considered by many to be the greatest private benefactor for oceanography research in the US.

David Karl
Phone: (808) 956-8964, dkarl@hawaii.edu
David is currently on the mainland receiving the award, and will return to Hawaii on Friday, November 7th.

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Media contact:
Kim Fulton-Bennett
Communications Associate
Phone: 831-775-1835
Email: kfb@mbari.org

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) - The mission of MBARI is to achieve and maintain a position as a world center for advanced research and education in ocean science and technology, and to do so through the development of better instruments, systems, and methods for scientific research in the deep waters of the ocean. MBARI emphasizes the peer relationship between engineers and scientists as a basic principle of its operation. All of the activities of MBARI must be characterized by excellence, innovation, and vision.

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School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology:
http://www.soest.hawaii.edu

About the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa
The School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) was established by the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii in 1988. SOEST brings together in a single focused ocean, earth sciences and technology group, some of the nation‘s highest quality academic departments, research institutes, federal cooperative programs, and support facilities to meet challenges in the ocean and earth sciences. Scientists at SOEST are supported by both state and federal funds as they endeavor to understand the subtle and complex interrelations of the seas, the atmosphere, and the earth.