Academic Appointments

MERI Director Honored with Academic Appointments in Maine and New York

Dr. Susan Shaw, Director of the Marine Environmental Research Institute (MERI) has received two academic appointments in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the fields of marine toxicology and public health.

This spring, Shaw was appointed to the faculty of the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY) as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences. In June, the Corning School of Ocean Studies at Maine Maritime Academy invited Dr. Shaw to become a charter member of the newly-formed Ocean Studies Advisory Board (OAB). In this role, Shaw will help define the vision and strategic plan for Ocean Studies at the Corning School and cultivate the next generation of marine scientists.

“I am honored to be recognized with these appointments, which hopefully will help bring attention to the serious threats facing the ocean and the urgent need to find solutions,” said Dr. Shaw.

An outspoken and influential voice on ocean pollution, Shaw is known for her pioneering research on the toxic legacy of man-made chemicals in the ocean environment. She is credited as the first scientist to show that flame retardant chemicals used in consumer products are contaminating marine mammals and commercially important fish stocks in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. Her research has influenced policy decisions in the US and abroad, including the Maine legislature’s decision to ban the neurotoxic flame retardant Deca, and the subsequent US phase-out of the chemical.

"People around the world know her work," said friend and colleague Kurunthachalam Kannan, a research scientist and Professor in the SUNY Department of Environmental Health Sciences.

Over a decade, Dr. Shaw and Dr. Kannan have collaborated on region-wide studies of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in marine wildlife, and have co-authored numerous research articles in leading science journals. In 2009, they published the first comprehensive review article on brominated flame retardants in marine ecosystems of the American continents in the international journal Reviews on Environmental Health.

“Dr. Shaw is an outstanding scientist,“ said Dr. David Carpenter, also a Professor at SUNY and Director of the Institute for Health and the Environment. “She founded and directs a remarkable institute, MERI. It has established itself as a major site for study of environmental issues on the coast of Maine, as well as study of contamination of the oceans in general. The output of this small research institute in terms of publications in high quality journals is most impressive.”

On November 1, Dr. Shaw will give a lecture on the SUNY campus titled “The Aftermath of The Gulf Oil Spill: A Marine Toxicologist’s Perspective.” In May 2010, a month after the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, Shaw dove in the Gulf of Mexico oil slick and subsequently influenced the national debate on the hazards of chemical dispersants. She serves on the Strategic Sciences Working Group (SSWG), the U.S. Department of Interior’s team of 14 scientists charged with assessing health consequences of the spill and recommending policy actions. Dr. Shaw and Dr. Kannan are currently conducting Gulf EcoTox, a region-wide investigation of the effects of oil and chemical dispersants in the Gulf ecosystem.

Earlier this spring, Dr. Shaw’s work was recognized with the highest award given by the Society of Woman Geographers - the Gold Medal. There have been only 18 other recipients of the Gold Medal award during the society’s 85-year history, including aviator Amelia Earhart, primatologist Jane Goodall, anthropologist Margaret Mead and archaeologist Mary Leakey.

< BACK TO ARTICLES

MERI Director Honored with Academic Appointments in Maine and New York

Quick Links: