Professor Astrid Schnetzer, an expert in plankton ecology, was honored this month with not one but two awards. Schnetzer was named as both an NC State University Faculty Scholar and an ASLO Fellow.

NC State’s University Faculty Scholars program recognizes emerging academic leaders and scholars. Early- and mid-career faculty receive this designation for their outstanding academic achievements and contributions to NC State through their teaching, scholarship and service to the university and beyond.

“This recognition means a lot and reflects over a decade of collaborating with exceptional colleagues, staff and students across MEAS and the College of Sciences,” Schnetzer said. “I am very grateful for all the opportunities and the continued support.”

Additionally this month, the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) named Schnetzer as an ASLO Fellow. Recipients of this award are recognized as having achieved excellence in their contributions to ASLO and the aquatic sciences.

“Being named an ASLO Fellow feels a bit like coming home,” Schnetzer said. “ASLO conferences have been a career-long highlight, an opportunity to reconnect with exemplary scientists and share pure excitement and passion for our oceans. I especially enjoy my students sharing in these experiences and being elevated by the many opportunities ASLO offers each new generation.”

At NC State, Schnetzer researches the ecology of microbial plankton and zooplankton, as well as the roles they play within food webs and for ecosystem productivity. She leads the Plankton Ecology Lab, where her students investigate how humans and nature impact plankton, and how plankton in turn impact freshwater and marine environments.

Schnetzer also serves as director of the North Carolina Center for Coastal Algae, People and the Environment (C-CAPE). C-CAPE coordinates across five colleges and nine NC State investigators, doing work to address the critical public health and environmental challenges associated with harmful cyanobacterial algal blooms and algal toxins in NC’s coastal waters.

MEAS Department Head Gary Lackmann stated, “Dr. Schnetzer’s outstanding work in developing and leading NC C-CAPE is garnering recognition and well-deserved accolades!”

This post was originally published in Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences.