The Harris Center’s own Brett Amy Thelen was recently awarded Antioch University New England’s 2012 Alumni Environmental Excellence Award, given to an alumnus “who has made outstanding contributions to the sustainability of the environment through professional or personal actions.”
At the awards ceremony on May 11, 2012, Dr. Rachel Thiet, Director of the M.S. Program in Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England, remarked:
Since 2007, AVEO [the citizen science arm of the Harris Center for Conservation Education] has become the most visible and dynamic citizen science organization in the entire region. AVEO brings together volunteer citizen scientists, ecologists, environmental educators, and numerous organizations, public schools, and universities throughout the region to characterize and monitor our natural environment. With the data collected by volunteers in its broad network, AVEO… increases public environmental awareness, enhances environmental education, and informs conservation decision-making at the municipal level.
In my 9 years at Antioch I’ve seen hundreds of graduate students come through the ES Department, and Brett still stands out as one of the most intellectually mature, professionally driven, visionary, and effective environmental leaders I’ve met. These days, I consider Brett a colleague and friend, so I also know that behind her demanding work as the Program Director of AVEO is a deep sense of wonder and appreciation for the living creatures with whom we share our home.
(Well, except, perhaps for the blackflies….)
