Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Laboratory recently received a national award for conservation education from the Garden Club of America (GCA).
The programs were presented with the Margaret Douglas Medal at the GCA’s 2023 annual meeting on May 23 in Columbus for “outstanding” clean water research and educational leadership.
“For more than 40 years, Ohio Sea Grant and Ohio State University’s Stone Lab have worked to protect the environment of Lake Erie and the Great Lakes and provide water quality research to the nation,” the GCA said in a press release.
Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab Director Dr. Christopher Winslow, center, accepted the Margaret Douglas Medal at the ceremony. Sandra Smith and Laura Preston, also pictured, helped nominate the programs.
The Akron Garden Club nominated the Ohio Sea Grant College Program for the medal, awarded for notable service to the cause of conservation education.
“Its programs have reached thousands of people, turning young students into budding scientists, improving the quality of STEM courses in our schools and helping the general public understand the complex issues involved with water quality,” said Laura Billow Preston and Dedee O’Neil of the Akron Garden Club’s Awards Committee.
The Garden Club of America presented a total of 10 national awards at its ceremony in May, with recipients including professional golfer Jack Nicklaus and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The organization presents awards annually to nationally or internationally recognized leaders in their fields of study or achievement.
Previous winners of the Margaret Douglas Medal include author and environmentalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas, documentary filmmaker Bill Kurtis and horticultural consultant and educator Katy Moss Warner.
“By combining research, education and outreach, in collaboration with Great Lakes communities, its dedicated staff guide decisions regarding Lake Erie and the region’s environmental issues and are responsible for national water alerts and public safety,” the GCA said of Ohio Sea Grant.
The Garden Club of America is a nonprofit national organization composed of 199 member garden clubs with almost 18,000 club members who devote energy and expertise to projects across the U.S.