2008—American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru, 1st Place Award for essay on “Teaching Phylogeny With the Great Halloween Faunal Assemblage”, focusing on engaging ways to teach science to young learners.
2006—American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru, Winner of national science curriculum-writing award meeting Project 2061 standards. Winning lesson for 3rd and 4th graders: “Buboes and Blotches: From Bubonic Plague to Bird Flu.”
2005—College of Saint Catherine, Saint Paul, Minnesota. Honored as one of 50 women scientists in Minnesota to present at conference encouraging high school girls to pursue creative science degrees and unusual science careers.
2004—American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru, Winner of national science curriculum-writing award meeting Project 2061 standards. Winning lesson for 1st and 2nd graders: “The Placoderm Club”.
2000—University of Minnesota President’s Citation of Merit for Cancer Center Web page.
1998—Minnesota Page One Award for newspaper spot-news team coverage of 1997 Red River Valley floods and natural history piece on Glacial Lake Agassiz.
1997—Merit Citation, Minnesota Book Awards, for book of nature essays, North Country Almanac (Andrews and McMeel, 1996).
1993—Archibald Bush Foundation Leadership Fellow. Awarded 15-month grant to complete zoology master’s degree and begin Ph.D.
1990—Pulitzer Prize nominee for coverage of daily life in former Soviet Union during home stay, February to March 1989, for Saint Paul Pioneer Press.
1978 to 1988—1st Place Associated Press Award for coverage of Minnesota drought; 1986, Pulitzer Prize nominee by Cincinnati Enquirer for series on health and safety effects of uranium processing; 1984 Minnesota Page One Sigma Delta Chi Award for coverage of Alzheimer’s Disease research; 1983 Associated Press awards for coverage of medical problems of the Hmong and series on African American suburban settlement; 1983 National Association of Black Journalists Award for same series; multiple Associated Press awards.
1982—Frank Premack Award for outstanding environmental reporting in the public interest.
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