Professor Sallie W. (Penny) Chisholm of CEE and biology and Professor John Cullen of Dalhousie University will receive the American Society for Limnology and Oceanography’s Ruth Patrick Award — which honors research in basic aquatic science that helps identify, analyze and/or solve environmental problems —  for their “significant contributions to the global community in their foresight and effective efforts in addressing the environmental impacts of ocean iron fertilization,” the citation said. Shortly after the idea surfaced in 1988 of using iron fertilization to prompt the growth of phytoplankton which might serve as a CO2 sink, Chisholm and Cullen co-chaired an international symposium to foster discussion on this topic among scientists. The conference ended with a resolution that, because of the potential damage that could result from such a large-scale experiment, iron fertilization should not be viewed as a method for solving the CO2 emissions problem. Chisholm and Cullen went on to write several influential articles on the science and policy dimensions of ocean fertilization.