June 12, 2019
BROCKPORT, NY — The International Association for Great Lakes Research awarded its highest outreach honor today to Mohiuddin (Mohi) Munawar, a research scientist at the Great Lakes Laboratory of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences in Burlington, Ont.
Munawar received the John R. (Jack) Vallentyne Award at IAGLR’s 62nd Annual Conference on Great Lakes Research, held at The College at Brockport, SUNY. The award goes to an individual or group who has contributed substantially to educating the public and informing policymakers about large lake issues, leading to protection and restoration of the great lakes of the world.
“Jack would consider Mohi a ‘slam dunk’ for this award,” notes Edward Mills, professor emeritus at Cornell University.
Munawar worked closely with Vallentyne at their Burlington lab in the 1970s and ’80s, organizing environment weeks, community open houses, seminars, and school outreach programs.
“I learnt a lot from his wisdom and direction for promoting ecosystem-based science,” Munawar states. “I greatly appreciate this prestigious award in the memory of my guru.”
Vallentyne’s mentorship included a deep appreciation for the ecosystem approach, and he encouraged Munawar to promote this concept internationally. In response, Munawar went on to found the Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management Society in 1989. Serving as president of AEHMS and chief editor of its journal, Munawar has been instrumental in the transfer of the theory and practice of ecosystem-based science from the Laurentian Great Lakes to developing regions by organizing conferences and peer-reviewed publications.
“The rest of the world has learned about North America’s Great Lakes through Dr. Munawar’s efforts, a significant outcome that has been the result of hard work, dedication, passion, leadership, and focus on outreach to a global audience,” Mills says.
In these efforts, Munawar has fostered knowledge sharing and collaboration among those who might not otherwise come together to freely exchange ideas and insights.
