Henry Gholz, the former program officer for the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program at the National Science Foundation (NSF) was honored with a standing ovation in a brief ceremony during the 2012 LTER All Scientists Meeting in Estes Park, Colorado. As program officer, Gholz, who is currently the Program Director in charge of the Ecosystems Cluster in the Division of Environmental Biology at NSF, presided over the program during LTER’s “Decade of Synthesis,” from 2001 to 2010. He earned the respect and appreciation of the LTER community by his diligent efforts to raise the profile of LTER and to emphasize the importance of long-term studies.During Gholz’s time as LTER Program Director, the Network grew by two sites with the addition of the California Current Ecosystem (CCE) and Moorea Coral Reef (MCR) LTER sites.
Robert Waide, the Executive Director of the LTER Network Office, was on hand to present Gholz with his award—an extravagant, virtual plaque “carved” from rare and expensive “African mahogany” and encased in some of “the finest virtual jewels that money can buy.” A beaming Gholz accepted the image of a plaque in good humor as NSF policies do not permit its officers to receive actual jewel-encrusted gold gifts.
By McOwiti O. Thomas (LNO)
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