California Academy of Sciences honors local scientists

Academy of Sciences by telmo32 // Flikr

San Francisco based California Academy of Sciences will be holding an award ceremony honoring the induction of twenty-one new Academy Fellows today. The honor is bestowed in recognition of notable contributions the recipients have made in their fields of science and judging from the listed recipients, for their efforts in science promotion.

A few of the names will be instantly recognizable to Skeptics and science fans. Dr. Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer with SETI Institute, host of the Skeptical podcast Are We Alone? has been announced, as well as previous recipient Dr. Eugenie C. Scott. She will be receiving the Fellows' Medal, the Academy of Sciences highest honor, for her passionate and steadfast work following the evolution of Creationism and its attempts to undermine scientific education in American schools. While it is wonderful to see these two well respected members scientists recognized for their work, they shouldn't receive special attention simply because they already exist in the public eye and are thus more easily recognizable.

The other freshly announced Academy Fellows all have amazing bodies of research and have performed some incredibly interesting experiments. Dr. Rocco Mancinelli has traversed the world studying extremophiles, living organisms which exist in extreme, inhospitable (and toxic to most) environments. From the Antarctic tundra to Yellowstone hot-springs to the vacuum of space, his work has shed new light on the versatility of life here on Earth while giving us a better idea where we may expect to find life out in the cosmos. Recipient Dr. Carl Pilcher brought us the news of weather on Neptune, a planet so far from the Sun its temperature can hover around -218 degrees Celsius. More locally, Dr. Thomas Powell's research has been instrumental in the preservation of marine fisheries and aquatic ecosystems, particularly among the Bay Area and Lake Tahoe regions.

This is just a sampling of the wonders these twenty-one individuals have contributed to the public at large. Whether studying far off galaxy formation, geological strata beneath our feet or the sensory systems of marine mammals, these scientists and thousands more like them are everyday increasing our understanding of the universe. For every person who has ever wondered "How does that happen?" they seek the answer. When others don't like that answer, they stand up for education, reason and understanding. Congratulations to them for their accomplishments and a special thanks for making the world that much more special.