For scientists in the fields of chemistry, medicine, and physics, there is the Nobel Prize and all the accolades that come with it. But for scientists in the environmental sciences, the Tyler Prize was created by Ann and John Tyler in 1973 to recognize scientists making world-class contributions to the fields of science that most impact our understanding of the Earth's ecosystems.
After interviewing one of last year's Tyler Laureates, Dr. Michael Mann, Dave decided to invite past winners of the award onto Blue Dot to talk about their work. In this episode, we visit with Paul Falkowski, a 2018 medal winner that helped revolutionize our understanding of how phytoplankton in the oceans regulate the Earth's biogeochemical systems and our increasingly fragile climate.
Dave then visits with Hans Herren and Thomas Lovejoy. Herren won the award in 2003 for his work on biological methods of pest control that helped avert a catastrophic famine in Africa. Lovejoy, a 2001 Tyler winner is known as the "godfather of biodiversity" and one of the founding producers of the PBS series Nature.