Colorado State University Sustainability Fellow Named Emerging Policy Leader

Note to Reporters: Photos of Paul Tanger are available with the news release at http://www.news.colostate.edu.

The American Institute of Biological Sciences in Washington, D.C., has selected Colorado State University Ph.D. candidate Paul Tanger as one of two people nationally to receive the 2013 Public Policy Leadership Award.

Paul Tanger is a 2012-2013 CSU Sustainability Leadership Fellow with the School of Global Environmental Sustainability, also known as SoGES, and a graduate student in the College of Agricultural Sciences. Paul was selected based on his accomplishments at the interface of science and policy.

“We are excited that Paul will receive this prestigious award for his interest in communicating science to policy makers," said Diana Wall, Director of the CSU School of Global Environmental Sustainability. “He has already been honored as one of 20 Global Sustainability Leadership Fellows at CSU who we train to explain the broader benefits of their research.”

The American Institute of Biological Sciences will bring Tanger to Washington in March to meet with Colorado Congressional delegations and to participate in a training program on communicating science with policymakers. He will also be briefed on the federal budget for scientific research as part of the annual Biological and Ecological Sciences Coalition Congressional Visits Day.

The other awardee is a Ph.D. student from MIT.

The American Institute of Biological Sciences is an institution that strives to build community in support of researchers, educators and scientists who understand the importance of sharing biological discovery and knowledge. Tanger was chosen because he “shows great accomplishments, communication skills, and promise for continued leadership at the boundary of science and public policy,” his award letter stated.

Tanger is a student with Jan E. Leach, professor in the Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management and the NSF IGERT Program in Multidisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Bioenergy (MAS BioEnergy). Tanger studies how plant composition can be optimized to produce inexpensive bioenergy. He will accept his award April 10-11 in Washington.

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