Miami Professor Honoured for Oceanographic Research
Andrew Bakun, professor of marine biology and fisheries at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, USA, is the 2013 recipient of the ‘Great Medal of Prince Albert The First'. The medal has been awarded by the Oceanographic Institute of the Foundation of Albert I, Prince of Monaco, in recognition of Bakun’s lifetime achievements in ocean research.
Mr. Bakun has worked as a professional oceanographer for more than a half century, including 22 years at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and nine years (1983-1992) as director of the NOAA Pacific Marine Fisheries Environmental Laboratory in Monterey, CA, USA. He later served seven years in the Fisheries Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome, Italy.
Mr. Bakun is specialised in the physical and biological interactions within the oceans, as well as the effects of climate variations on ecosystems and marine populations. As a field expert, he took part in the International Indian Ocean Expedition in the 1960s. During two years on that ocean, he conducted research on what the United Nations called “the last unexplored frontiers”. On the expedition, Bakun said he gained the invaluable work methods and experiences which have served him throughout his career. As a professor, Bakun always has stressed to students the same message of humility with respect to the oceans.
Established in 1948 to honour the centenary of the birth of Prince Albert I of Monaco, an early leader in the development of ocean science, the Great Medal of Albert I is awarded annually to a single scientist selected for extraordinary work in the field of ocean research. In 1981, for example, the prestigious award was granted to Jacques-Yves Cousteau.
