Polanyi prize awarded to McMaster biologist

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[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/grahamscott.jpg” caption=”Graham Scott, an assistant professor in the Department of Biology, has been awarded the 2011 Polanyi prize for physiology and medicine. File photo.”]A McMaster University researcher has won a prestigious award for his work on how
environmental extremes affect animals in the wild – research that could provide
valuable insight on the impact of global climate change.

Graham Scott, an assistant professor in the Department of Biology, has been awarded
the 2011 Polanyi prize for physiology and medicine.

His research explores how certain animals – those that are exceptionally tolerant of
environmental extremes – adapt to their surroundings and the physiological systems
that are key to fitness in the wild. He has studied several different species, including
birds thriving at high altitudes and fish that live in various challenging environments.

“Our goal is to study the variation in physiology between species from different habitats
and between different life stages to understand how these animals are affected by
oxygen depletion and global warming in the wild,” he says. “This award is very
meaningful because it recognizes the importance of this kind of research.”

Named in honor of the 1986 Nobel-prize winner, the John Charles Polanyi Prize
recognizes outstanding researchers at Ontario universities in the early stages of their
careers. The awards cover chemistry, literature, physics, economics and physiology or
medicine, and recipients receive $20,000 each.

“Graham is an exceptional young scientist with a promising future ahead of him as a
scientist and academic,” says John Capone, dean of the Faculty of Science. “The Polanyi
Prize is a clear recognition of his past accomplishments and future potential, and we are
fortunate to have someone of such talent and promise in our Faculty. He is highly
deserving of this prestigious award.”