Two Seniors Win Awards
from San Diego Environmental Professionals

By Kim McDonald I June 13, 2005

Isaac Pearlman, with bird decoy, takes measurements in the field.

Two graduating seniors who conducted environmental research projects this year that benefited the San Diego region have each won $500 awards from San Diego Environmental Professionals, a non-profit group dedicated to providing a forum for professionals in the field.

Erika (Katie) Ranke of Warren College and Isaac Pearlman of Marshall College will receive their awards at a June 14 meeting of the group in San Diego. Both seniors, majors in UCSD's Environmental Systems program, will speak to the group about their respective projects, selected as the two best research projects conducted this year by seniors who completed internships in the Environmental Systems program.

Ranke worked with the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board to evaluate the effectiveness of a water certification program to determine if it helped to replace wetland functions lost due to impacts from construction or operating facilities in the Santa Margarita watershed, which extends from southwestern Riverside county through Camp Pendleton to the Pacific Ocean. Pearlman worked with the Port of San Diego to develop a protocol for surveying bird species diversity, an important indicator of the environmental health of the San Diego Bay habitat. Two other UCSD students, Marcus Keller and Nancy Felix, received honorable mentions for their projects. The award was established last year by the San Diego Environmental Professionals to promote academic interest and reward outstanding undergraduate academic achievement in the environmental sciences.

"We believe it is important to recognize and support students in the environmental sciences so that they are better prepared for the challenges and issues they will confront after graduating," says Jerome Jaminet, president of the group. "Having been students ourselves at one time, we understand that even a small scholarship can make a big difference for a student just starting out his or her career."