MIAMI – Martin Grosell, Maytag chair and professor of ichthyology at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science received the inaugural Outstanding Mentor Award. This award was designed to recognize an exceptional faculty mentor and based upon the recommendation of a committee of Rosenstiel School students, post-doctorate researchers and faculty.
At the award presentation, Grosell gave a presentation about ‘Mentoring and Leadership in Academia.’ The award recipient is selected by graduate students as part of an overall survey of student mentoring at the UM Rosenstiel School. “This award was conceived to recognize an outstanding faculty mentor on campus. Dr. Grosell has made it abundantly clear by his deep appreciation of the recognition and his thorough and insightful seminar why he deserves this award,” said Jay Fisch, Ph.D. student and a representative of the Graduate Academic Committee. “We hope this award encourages students and faculty to strive towards mentoring relationships that nurture and support academic excellence.”
“Impact on any scientific discipline goes much beyond what is traditionally measured by number of publications, citations and citation index,” said Grosell. “Training and mentoring of the next generation of excited young scientist is, in my view, the single biggest impact any academic can aspire to. That this award is based on a student driven selection process makes it the most significant recognition I’ve received in my academic career.”
Grosell, whose research activities center on comparative physiology and aquatic toxicology, is studying how fish and invertebrates cope with environmental challenges including climate change and contamination.
A recent study published in the early online edition of the journal Environment Science and Technology by a research team that included Grosell showed up to a 37% decrease in overall swimming performance of Deepwater Horizon oil-exposed juvenile mahi-mahi. The findings reveal the toxic effects of crude oil on ecologically and commercially valuable fish that reside in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
Grosell holds a Ph.D. in Toxicology and Physiology from the University of Copenhagen, where he also obtained his B.S. and MSc. He is a member of the Society of Experimental Biology and the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. In 2011, Grosell won ‘Student Supervisor of the Year’ at UM.
