Presidential Honour for NOAA Scientists

Three NOAA scientists will receive the 2009 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). Recipients are: J. Christopher Taylor, an ecologist at the National Center for Coastal Ocean Science's Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research in Beaufort, N.C.; Matthew Menne, a physical scientist at the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.; and Charles Stock, an oceanographer at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, N.J. The award is the highest honour bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers.

"It is very gratifying that NOAA scientists are honored early in their careers by this significant award," said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "We are immensely proud of these three individuals. They represent the best of NOAA science. While they are being lauded for specific work, this award also recognizes the promise of future contributions to science and the nation."

Taylor was nominated for leading research in the development and use of new underwater sonar technologies that make coastal ecosystem assessments more efficient, safe and cost effective.
Menne was nominated for using innovative methods to develop high-quality climate data sets, including identifying and correcting inaccuracies in U.S. temperature records.

Stock's contributions included the use of computer models to better understand a range of climate and ecosystem dynamics, such as predicting harmful algal blooms and how food webs vary from region to region.