A key SCAR initiative is to recognise excellence in Antarctic and Southern Ocean research, as well as exceptional service to the international Antarctic community. These contributions are vital for advancing SCAR’s vision and mission. Reflecting this, SCAR is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2024 SCAR President’s Medals.
The 2024 SCAR President’s Medal is posthumously awarded to Prof Craig Cary of the University of Waikato, New Zealand.
Prof Craig Cary’s career spanned more than four decades, in which he made significant strides in the study of microbial life in extreme environments, engaging in deep-sea expeditions to hydrothermal vents and conducting 18 seasons in Antarctica. His work has fundamentally expanded our understanding of microbial diversity and the ecological processes in some of the most inhospitable places on Earth.
Prof Cary was the National Representative of New Zealand for the Life Sciences Group. He was also the group leader of the SCAR Antarctic Near-shore and Terrestrial Observation System (ANTOS) which he was instrumental in establishing. Prof Cary served as the convenor and chair of the Local Organising Committee for the XIII SCAR Biology Symposium in Christchurch, New Zealand, in August 2023.
Prof Cary was not just a remarkable scientist but also an inspiring educator, mentor, colleague, and friend whose legacy lives on through his research and the many researchers who knew and worked with him.