Announcing inaugural IAGLR Large Lake Champion Award recipients

For IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2022

Contact: Neil Rooney, Co-Chair, IAGLR Awards Committee, [email protected]

Ann Arbor, MI — The International Association for Great Lakes Research is proud to announce the debut of the IAGLR Large Lake Champion Award, which recognizes and honors individuals whose work has made significant contributions to sharing the social, economic, and ecological understanding of large lakes of the world. IAGLR looks to pay tribute to the luminaries and rising voices for large lakes that will help shape the association for years to come and pave the way for IAGLR’s future. In the award's inaugural year, we recognize the following five IAGLR Large Lake Champions: 

Patricia Chow-Fraser
Professor, McMaster University, Department of Biology, Former IAGLR President
The award recognizes Chow-Fraser’s extensive experience as an active scientist in coastal Great Lakes research.  As one IAGLR member put it, “As a scientist, one word comes to mind that encapsulates Pat and her career impact: trailblazer.” Chow-Fraser’s holistic, ecosystem-level approach to classifying wetland function and health in the Great Lakes, her early adoption of GIS tools into her research program in the mid-1990s, and her use of drones to measure wetland cover and endangered species habitat were all cited as examples of her ingenuity in tackling complex ecological problems. In addition, Chow-Fraser extended her research to include members of the public (now referred to as “community science”) well before it became mainstream. Chow-Fraser’s impact reaches to policy and management frameworks and also reflects her commitment to educating the next generation of researchers.

Catherine Febria
Canada Research Chair in Freshwater Restoration Ecology and Assistant Professor, University of Windsor, Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER)
Febria was nominated for her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, which resonates across all aspects of her research, teaching, and service. During the COVID shutdown, she transformed the traditional seminar series at GLIER to a tremendously popular Great Lakes-wide international virtual showcase for early career scientists with special attention to justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and indigeneity. “IAGLR particularly applauds her community-engaged and place-based approach to research that connects land, water, and people,” notes IAGLR Awards Committee Co-Chair Neil Rooney. “More and more, this approach is being recognized as necessary to advance and accelerate the science and practice of freshwater restoration and sustainability." In addition, Febria's commitment to promoting reconciliation through her work, evidenced not only through her research but also her service, serves as an example for researchers across Canada. Febria also helped launch IAGLR's Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and hosted the first Traditional Ecological Knowledge roundtable at the association’s annual conference. 

Abraham Francis
Program Manager, Environment Program, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne
Francis was nominated for his focus on community-based approaches to addressing pressing environmental issues in the Great Lakes region. “Abraham's track record in engaging with community groups, academic institutions, and governmental bodies is truly an inspirational example of taking an interdisciplinary and multifaceted approach to tackling our most vexing problems,” notes Rooney. IAGLR particularly applauds Francis's community-engaged and place-based approach to research that connects land, water, and people.

Jim Olson
Founder and Senior Legal Advisor, For Love of Water (FLOW)
This award honors Olson’s tireless efforts in protecting the environment in and around the Laurentian Great Lakes region, including his founding of the organization For Love of Water (FLOW). "We at IAGLR are committed to a world where large lakes are valued and healthy; where these ecosystems inspire curiosity, awe, love and respect, and stewardship in all people," notes Rooney. “It is in this spirit that we want to express our appreciation for Jim’s extraordinary knowledge of environmental, water, and public interest law, and how he has used his skill set to advocate for the protection of these unique and essential ecosystems.” Olson’s advocacy does not stop in the legal and policy worlds, but extends to his effort to educate the public through extensive outreach work.

Ali Shakoor
Ph.D. Student, Wayne State University, Department of Biological Sciences
Shakoor brings his love of the outdoors and Great Lakes science to underrepresented communities, and he brings his expertise on topics such as fish consumption advisories, fisheries science, abiotic effects on fish biology and ecology, microplastics, and invasive species to anglers and conservation clubs. His media appearances alone during the pandemic are too numerous to list here. “Suffice to say that members of the IAGLR Awards Committee greatly admire Ali’s ability to bridge the divide between research and practice in a way that is engaging to the public,” notes Rooney. “His impressive work with Detroit K-12 groups and as a featured speaker at the Belle Isle Aquarium in Detroit show his interest in stepping beyond media engagement to reach out directly to members of his community.”