UW News

June 11, 2013

News Digest: Awards of Excellence program and reception Thursday, Honor: Estella Leopold

Awards of excellence recognize faculty, staff, alumni, top scholars
Recognize colleagues from across campus, distinguished alumni and top scholars at the annual Awards of Excellence ceremony 3:30 p.m. Thursday, June 13, in Meany Hall Auditorium.

Nearly 30 individuals and teams will receive awards in 15 categories. New is the Distinguished Alumni Veteran Award in recognition of community service and civic engagement by a UW graduate who is a veteran.

A reception with light refreshments will follow at 4:30 p.m. The event is free, open to the public and reservations are not required.

Head shot of Estella LeopoldPaleontological Society gives its top honor to Estella Leopold
Estella Leopold, professor emeritus of biology, has received the Paleontological Society Medal, the most prestigious honor bestowed by the 105-year-old society, reflecting the organization’s objectives and standards, according to the society.

The medal is awarded to a person whose eminence is based on advancement of knowledge in paleontology, the society says.

Leopold has been teaching and conducting research for more than 60 years, more than 35 of them at the UW. She pioneered the use of fossilized pollen and spores in North America to understand how plants and ecosystems respond over eons to such things as climate change.