Selected Awards

2019–Minnesota Regenerative Medicine, Educator Award, recognized by the University of Minnesota, Mayo Clinic and State of Minnesota Minnesota for "improving the health of Minnesotans by advancing regenerative medicine therapies."

2017–Broadband Innovation Grant winner from the Blandin Foundation  to create a children's digital press corps to connect rural Minnesota and create community by teaching youth grades 4-8 digital media skills through a novel story scouts program, BorealCorps.org. (www.borealcorps.org)

2015–Outstanding Environmental Journalism Award, National Tropical Botanical Gardens, Kauai, Hawaii.

2012–Excellence in Teaching Chemistry Workshop Award, Monell Chemical Senses Center and Springbrook Academy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

2008-2010–National and State History Day, Winning Coach for student Web sites. Coached 4 middle school projects to state and national History Day medals, including an 11th place medal at National History Day in College Park, Maryland.

2008–American Association for the Advancement of Science, 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 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.”

2004–American Association for the Advancement of Science 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, bone  marrow transplants.

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–Minnesota Book Award merit winner  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.

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