Thursday, November 01, 2007

Dr. Michael Mallin, Research Professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington Center for Marine Science, has been awarded the distinction of being elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as a Fellow is an honor bestowed by AAAS members by their peers.

Each year the AAAS Council elects members to the ranks of AAAS Fellows "whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished. The AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science.

Mallin is being honored for "significant contributions to aquatic ecology, particularly for providing important insights into how estuarine ecosystems will be altered as global warming progresses." His research interests include analyzing the impacts of land use practices on water quality, the study of nutrient loading on estuaries, rivers and streams, the environmental effects of catastrophic weather events, and water quality management issues.

"It is a great honor to have my research and contributions recognized in this way by my peers in the scientific community," Mallin said. "The daily rewards of my work come from contributing to the health of estuarine ecosystems and the safety of the people who use them. Being named an AAAS Fellow adds to that sense of satisfaction in what I do."

Mallin directs the Aquatic Ecology Laboratory at the UNCW Center for Marine Science, which conducts a number of research projects assessing the physical, chemical and biological components of marine, estuarine and freshwater ecosystems. He has authored or coauthored more than 160 publications related to the ecology and pollution of these systems and the findings of the laboratory's projects.

Mallin was a 2001 Aldo Leopold Environmental Leadership Fellow and served as President of the Southeastern Estuarine Research Society from 2004-2006. He is an aquatic ecologist with a Master of Science degree in limnology from the University of Florida and a Ph.D. in marine and estuarine biology from UNC Chapel Hill.

The UNCW Center for Marine Science is dedicated to providing an environment that fosters a multidisciplinary approach to questions in basic marine research. The mission of the center is to promote basic and applied research in the fields of oceanography, coastal and wetland studies, marine biomedical and environmental physiology, and marine biotechnology and aquaculture.

This year, 471 members have been awarded the title of AAAS Fellow because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. New Fellows will be honored on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2008 at the Fellows Forum during the 2008 AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston. The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874.

Media contacts:

Michael Mallin, research professor, Center for Marine Science, 910.962.2358 or mallinm@uncw.edu

Dana Fischetti, manager of media relations, 910.962.7259 or fischettid@uncw.edu