A University of Guelph professor joins the likes of Nikola Tesla and Albert Einstein as a recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Medal for Earth and Environmental Science.
The award recognizes accomplishments of scientists, engineers and inventors among others.
Paul Herbert is this year’s winner for his work in DNA barcoding, creating technology that can identify species with a tiny segment of DNA.
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Herbert said he is thrilled to receive the honour.
“Importantly, this award endorses a planetary research program led by Canada that is providing humanity with the knowledge required to better insulate biodiversity from global change,” Herbert said.
In a news release from the U of G, Herbert is the founder and CEO of the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics (CBG) within the college of biological science at the post-secondary school.
Through the CBG, he’s raised over $160 million in the past 20 years for infrastructure development and staff support to advance its capacity to lead a major scientific project.
Herbert has inspired and mentored several students, in addition to his research contributions. Nearly 1,000 undergraduate students have been exposed to his research through his field courses in the Canadian Arctic, Australia and Jamaica.
Herbert is the fourth Canadian to win the award and he’ll be formally honoured on April 18 in a ceremony in Philadelphia, Penn.
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