The Joseph Grinnell Award honors individuals who have made outstanding and sustained contributions to education in mammalogy over a period of at least 10 years. The award recognizes excellence in education in both traditional academic settings as well as other forms of public outreach education.
The 2012 recipient of the Joseph Grinnell Award is Dr. James H. Brown, Distinguished Professor of Biology in the Department of Biology at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. During his long and exceedingly productive research career, he has mentored over 50 PhD students and 20 Postdoctoral Fellows. He has helped establish and promote the careers of numerous women in science as well as those of many international scholars. At the core of his success in mentoring and many of his scientific accomplishments is his continued demonstration that mammals are model organisms in the study of community ecology, biogeography and macroecology. Dr. Brown’s boundless enthusiasm for science and the study of mammals has inspired countless undergraduate and graduate students who, themselves, are now inspiring the next generation of mammalogists.