A professor at the College of William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science has been recognized as an outstanding faculty member.
The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia named VIMS marine science professor Deborah Steinberg as one of 13 winners of the 2015 SCHEV Outstanding Faculty Award.
The award recognizes outstanding faculty at Virginia’s public and private colleges and universities for their accomplishments and reflecting the missions of their respective institutions. This is the 29th year SCHEV has handed out the awards.
“These awards signal extraordinary prowess on the part of those who receive them, and Debbie’s accomplishments in teaching, research, and service are truly exceptional,” William & Mary president Taylor Reveley said in a news release.
Steinberg, whose research focuses on the role zooplankton play in marine food webs and the global carbon cycle, was selected out of a pool of 88 candidates for the award.
Steinberg’s research has taken her worldwide, including visits to Chesapeake Bay, Antarctica, the Sargasso Sea and the North Pacific. She is scheduled to return to Antarctica later this month for a six-week field season.
Steinberg’s research and service to Virginia has earned her other awards, including the American Geophysical Union’s 2012 Sverdrup Award lecture, a Plumeri Award for Faculty Excellence from William & Mary in 2014, and the Dean’s Prize for Advancement of Women in Marine Science from VIMS in 2006.
“Debbie is a gifted and remarkably dedicated teacher and mentor who is highly deserving of this award,” VIMS Dean and Director John Wells said in the release.
Six other VIMS faculty members have received the award in the past, and 38 members of the William & Mary faculty have previously won.
SCHEV functions as the coordinating body for the state’s higher education system, providing policy guidance and budget recommendations to the governor and General Assembly.
The 13 winners will be honored Feb. 19 at a ceremony in Richmond and will each receive $5,000 from the Dominion Foundation, the philanthropic branch of Dominion Resources.
