NIWA scientist recognised for outstanding achievements

 A NIWA scientist with an international reputation as an outstanding leader in marine ecological field experiments was last night awarded the prestigious New Zealand Marine Sciences Society (NZMSS) Award.

The award, supported by Auckland War Memorial Museum, was presented in Wellington at the annual NZMSS conference to Dr Judi Hewitt who is best known for her skills in using advanced statistics to address challenging ecological questions.

It is made for outstanding contribution to marine science in New Zealand and this year recognises that Hamilton-based Dr Hewitt has made major contributions to understanding of the role of scale in ecology.

Her seminal publication on ecological scaling was published in American Naturalist in 2007 and is regarded as one of the most important papers in marine ecology. Throughout her career, Dr Hewitt has published more than 130 peer reviewed journal articles and is an editor for two international journals.

One paper published in the journal Ecology revealed the role of shell debris patches in driving biodiversity in what is frequently viewed as featureless plains of mud.  This paper has been cited 112 times by studies that range from coral and rocky reefs, to terrestrial plant communities and effects of invasive earthworms.

Dr Hewitt is in demand internationally and in addition to science leadership roles at NIWA and with the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge hosted by NIWA, she is also a professor of marine biology at the University of Helsinki.

“Dr Hewitt’s reputation and the respect in which is held as a solutions-focused research has led to her being in demand with many regional and national resource management agencies.

“She has developed models of ecosystem health for harbours and estuaries and designed impact assessment surveys for deep sea ecosystems associated with fishing and mining which demonstrate her ability to translate practical research experience into effective advice,” the judges said.

The NZMSS also said Dr Hewitt was an excellent science communicator, delivering lectures and talks around New Zealand and overseas and was also an outstanding role model and mentor for young women in science.

Auckland Museum has put its backing behind this significant award, reflecting its ongoing interest in marine collections and associated research.

“We are pleased to be able to support this award and celebrate the achievements of research in marine sciences, and also the way in which the work of one person can have such a positive influence for future generations” said David Reeves, Director of Collections and Research at Auckland Museum.