Marine microbiologist earns top faculty award
ON THE GREEN | David L. Kirchman, the Maxwell P. and Mildred H. Harrington Professor of Marine Biosciences, has received the 2010 Francis Alison Faculty Award, the University’s highest faculty honor.
The award, established by the Board of Trustees in 1978, is given to a member of the faculty who has made notable contributions to his or her field of study and who best characterizes “the scholar-schoolmaster,” as exemplified by the Rev. Dr. Francis Alison. In 1743, Alison founded the institution that is now UD.
“The Alison Award recognizes Delaware’s best faculty members, and Dr. Kirchman is a most worthy addition to this august body of scholars,” Provost Tom Apple says. “Dave’s research in marine microbiology has won him worldwide recognition, and the caliber of his research is matched by his commitment to teaching. A list of his former students includes faculty members and researchers across the country.”
According to Nancy M. Targett, dean of the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, Kirchman “exemplifies the strong traditions of scholarly excellence, student mentorship and statesman-like service” that the award is designed to recognize.
“Dave has an outstanding international reputation for his path-finding research in marine microbial ecology and is considered to be the pre-eminent marine microbial ecologist in the world today,” Targett said. “His colleagues say that he has redefined the modern discipline of microbial oceanography.”
Kirchman received his master’s and doctoral degrees in environmental engineering from Harvard University and joined the UD faculty in 1986. A veteran of several scientific research cruises, his work has taken him to all parts of the globe, including the waters of the Arctic and the Antarctic.
He is the author of Microbial Ecology of the Oceans, published in 2000, with a second edition published in 2008.
