Steven Amstrup
| Steven Carl Amstrup | |
|---|---|
| Born |
February 4, 1950 Fargo, North Dakota, United States |
| Residence | Washington, D.C. |
| Fields | Zoology, polar bear research |
| Institutions | University of Wyoming |
| Alma mater |
University of Washington (1972) University of Idaho (1975) University of Alaska Fairbanks (1995) |
| Thesis | Movements, distribution, and population dynamics of polar bears in the Beaufort Sea (1995) |
| Notable awards |
Indianapolis Prize (2012) Bambi Award (2012) |
Steven C. Amstrup is an American zoologist who studies bears, especially polar bears. He is the 2010 recipient of the Indianapolis Prize.[1][2]
Early life
Steven Amstrup was born in Fargo, North Dakota, where he took an interest in bears at an early age.[2] He attended the University of Washington as an undergraduate, receiving his bachelor's degree in forestry in 1972.[3] In 1975, he graduated from the University of Idaho with a master's degree in wildlife management. He studied black bears in central Idaho for his master's thesis.[2] He earned his doctoral degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1995.[3]
Career
In 1980, he began working for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska and Wyoming.[2] He also worked for the United States Geological Survey in the Arctic during his 30-year career, primarily studying polar bears in the Beaufort Sea.[4] In 2007 and 2008, Amstrup led a team of scientists whose reports led United States Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne to list polar bears as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.[2] In 2010, he published an article in Nature finding that even if climate change led to complete melting of the polar ice packs, the ice could return if global temperatures subsequently cooled.[4][5] He has taught at the University of Wyoming as an adjunct professor since 2006.[6]
His contributions to polar bear conservation were honored in 2012, when the Indianapolis Zoo named him the winner of their biennial Indianapolis Prize.[1] Later the same year, he was presented with an Our Earth Bambi Award in Düsseldorf.[7]
Activism
After retiring in 2010, Amstrup became the chief scientist for Polar Bears International.[2] Having observed the effect of climate change on polar bears and their Arctic habitat during his career as a researcher, he now works as an advocate for polar bears and promotes climate change mitigation.[4][8]
Personal life
Amstrup is married. He and his wife are building an energy-efficient house in northeast Washington, D.C.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Polar bear champion Amstrup wins prestigious animal conservation award". Alaska Dispatch. 14 June 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Davenport, Paula M. "Bears on the Brink". University of Idaho. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Prize-Winning Polar Bear Researcher Steven Amstrup Here for September 30 Lecture". DePauw University. 17 July 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Zipp, Yvonne (19 October 2012). "Steven Amstrup says it's not too late to save polar bears – and ourselves". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
- ↑ "Scientists: It's not too late yet for polar bears". The Washington Times. 15 December 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
- ↑ "UW Adjunct Professor Steven Amstrup Wins World’s Leading Animal Conservation Award". University of Wyoming. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
- ↑ "PBI Scientist Receives Bambi Award". Polar Bears International. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
- ↑ Stromberg, Joseph (14 June 2012). "Interview With Indianapolis Prize Winner and Polar Bear Researcher Steven Amstrup". Smithsonian. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
External links
|