The Biology Professional of the Year Award
The Biology Professional of the Year Award (formerly Biologist of the Year
Award) was added in 1993. This award recognizes shorter-term
contributions to biological science and the application of biology, and
recognizes local or regional achievement rather than provincial or
national achievement. The award is presented at the AGM for outstanding
contributions by a member or a team to applied biology and to the
advancement of professional biology. If you wish to nominate somebody, please use the form below.
Application Deadline December 31
Download Nomination form
Previous winners of this Award include:
Dr. Jennifer Balke - Biology Professional of the Year 2018
Dr. Jennifer Balke is in all senses of the word a "community
ecologist" and represents the highest ethical standards of the
APB. Her commitment to, and leadership in, her community's
conservation and stewardship projects have made her one of the most
respected figures on Denman and Hornby Islands. As with many well known
Canadian zoologists who were products of MacTaggart-Cowan's teaching,
such as Dr. Bob Gainer, who almost single-handedly led Parks Canada's
brucellosis recovery programme after working with African
elephants, Jenny began her career in Nanaimo only to go to Zimbabwe
before returning to Canada via Missouri. But it was her home on Denman
that drew her back to biology. In a quiet, unassuming way, she has been the
prolific author of scientific papers and reports, several of which have been on her
favourite topics of otter research and
management. If you want to know what we learned about the impact of
Exxon Valdes on otters and what otter recovery techniques were
developed, ask Jenny. She wrote the guiding paper on that!
For the benefit of all British Columbians, it is Jenny who rediscovered Taylor's Checkerspot Butterfly (Euphydryas editha taylori), which
many of us thought had been eliminated from the Comox Valley. It was also Jenny who spearheaded a magnificent recovery program. Amongst her many other projects, she now leads a bat recovery program that involves members of her community. Her enthusiasm is as infectious as some of the viruses she has also written about. Her extensive list of accomplishment is driven by a rare dedication to providing her
community with the necessary scientific tools to preserve and restore
its unique environmental values. It is too long to list here but there is
no doubt that Jenny exemplifies the stewardship values cherished by all members of the Association of the Professional Biologists and that
her distinguished community work is a model for all. She definitely
deserves the Biology Professional of the Year Award.