University of Colorado at Boulder Professor Marc Bekoff has been named winner of the Bank One Colorado Corporation 2004 Faculty Community Service Award for exceptional humanitarian and civic service.
A professor in CU-Boulder's ecology and evolutionary biology department, Bekoff is well known in the scientific world for his studies of animal behavior, animal cognition and behavioral ecology. He is recognized in the Boulder community and beyond for outreach and service to both children and adults on environmental issues, including animal awareness and animal rights.
The Bank One award is given annually to one full-time faculty member from the University of Colorado system "who has rendered exceptional educational, humanitarian, civic or other service in his or her community." Bekoff will receive a $10,000 award from an endowment made by the Bank One Colorado Corporation.
As regional coordinator for Roots & Shoots, a global, nonprofit program founded by conservationist Jane Goodall, Bekoff's work aims to lead people to service projects that promote concern for animals, the environment and society. As part of the program, Bekoff has made scores of visits to Boulder-area classrooms, senior centers, service clubs and jails.
"Few other people can bring a message that applies to so many different groups," said CU-Boulder sociology Associate Professor Leslie Irvine, who nominated Bekoff for the Bank One award. "In each setting Marc visits, he educates people of all ages about animal behavior, the environment and the importance of connecting with others."
Bekoff serves on the ethics committee of the Jane Goodall Institute, and he and Goodall co-founded the organization, Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals: Citizens for Responsible Animal Behavior Studies. Bekoff also serves on the board of directors for the Fauna Sanctuary, the Cougar Fund and the Prairie Preservation Alliance.
A CU-Boulder faculty member since 1974, Bekoff has been a Guggenheim Fellow and a past winner the Boulder Faculty Assembly Award for Excellence in Research, Scholarly and Creative Work. He is a fellow of the Animal Behavior Society, the International Academy of Animal Welfare and the International Society for Anthrozoology.
Bekoff has authored more than 200 papers and 18 books, including "Minding Animals: Awareness, Emotions and Heart" in 2002 and "The Ten Trusts: What We Must Do to Care for the Animals," which was co-authored with Goodall, also published in 2002. He edited a three volume encyclopedia, "Animal Behavior," published in 2004, and authored "Animal Passions and Beastly Virtues: Reflections on Redecorating Nature," to be published later this year.
His research has been featured in national publications and broadcast outlets including the New York Times, Time Magazine, National Public Radio, the Discovery Channel and National Geographic television.