UH Researchers Recognized By Board of Regents for Scholarly Contributions to Students and the Community

HONOLULU — The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents have selected UH researchers John L. Tonry, Alexander Krot and Mark Q. Martindale as the recipients of the 2004 Regents‘ Medal for Excellence in Research. The award recognizes their scholarly contributions that expand the boundaries of knowledge and enrich the lives of students and the community.

John T. Tonry is a professor with the Institute for Astronomy. Tonry‘s research and publications have brought worldwide respect to the astronomy program at the University of Hawaiʻi. His research on distant supernovae led to the discovery that the universe is accelerating in its expansion. The American Astronomical Society sited this research as one of the most important scientific discoveries in the past several decades. In addition, Tonry‘s work with astronomical instrumentation led to a revolutionary telescope design, which promises to keep the university at the forefront of astronomical discovery.

Alexander Krot is an associate researcher at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Geophysics and Planetology. Krot is a world-class expert on the petrology of meteorites. His recent discovery of the subtle age differences in the components of a very old meteorite is particularly significant due to the implications on how long it took our solar system to form. One review stated, "Krot changed the way the entire cosmochemistry community thinks about the nature of the records preserved in chondrites (stony meteorites)."

Mark Q. Martindale is an associate professor with the Pacific Biomedical Research Center. Martindale is one of the founders of the school of evolutionary developmental biology. He is renowned for his technically challenging cell-lineage studies. His papers have appeared in the journals Science and Nature. Martindale‘s research focuses on the major problems of animal body plan evolution, and his lab played a major role in changing the perceptions of the relationship of bilaterians to other animals.

Tonry, Krot and Martindale will be recognized for their contributions to the university along with other UH award winners at a system-wide ceremony in September.

For more information, visit: http://www.hawaii.edu/about/awards/research.php