Two faculty members receive Class of 1940 and 1941 Professorship Awards

Friday, February 26, 2016

Two members of the faculty in the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space (EOS) have been honored for their outstanding work at UNH.

Steve Frolking
Steve Frolking

Steve Frolking, a research professor of biogeochemistry in EOS’s Earth Systems Research Center (ESRC) and the department of Earth sciences, has been selected to receive the Class of 1941 Professorship Award. The award honors a UNH faculty member for outstanding teaching and research or public service.

Frolking's background and training are in physics and biogeochemical cycling, with particular focus on climatic controls on trace gas emissions from terrestrial ecosystems. His current research focuses on the interactions between terrestrial ecosystems, human land and water use and the Earth's climate system.

Ruth Varner
Ruth Varner

Ruth Varner, an associate professor in the ESRC and department of Earth sciences, has been selected to receive the Class of 1940 Professorship Award, which recognizes a UNH faculty member for outstanding interdisciplinary teaching and research.

Currently, Varner’s research focus is on the measurement of trace gas emissions from agricultural and aquatic ecosystems. Varner directs the UNH-based Northern Ecosystems Research for Undergraduates program, which focuses on the impacts of climate change on ecosystems in Northern Sweden. She also serves as director of the Joan and James Leitzel Center for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education at UNH.