Dr. Catherine Gehring and Dr. Michelle Mack were elected Fellows of the Ecological Society of America. “Both [Gehring and Mack] have made outstanding contributions to ecosystems science, and both have raised considerably the profile of NAU as a leading center for environmental research,” said Bill Grabe, NAU Vice President for Research.
Mack is a professor of ecosystem ecology in the Center for Ecosystem Science and Society. The fellowship is in recognition of her seminal research contributions in plant ecology, spanning population to ecosystem science, including invasions, nutrient cycling, disturbance, and climate forcing, with emphasis on plant ecology in the arctic and boreal regions. It also recognizes Mack’s leadership in climate change and fire ecology, training future ecologists, and outstanding science communication and outreach to the public. She has published more than 100 articles, many in the top journals, such as Science, Nature, Ecology and Ecosystems. She has garnered more than $30 million in collaborative funding since 2000, and has won numerous awards for her research, teaching and mentoring.
Gehring, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Northern Arizona University and member of the Merriam-Powell Center executive committee, also was elected as a fellow by the Ecological Society of America. The fellowship is in recognition of her outstanding contributions in the field of community genetics and the role of plant genetics in defining microbial communities. She has more than 90 publications in premier journals including, Science, Nature and Ecology.
