Ronald Kendall receives 2021 Founders Award from the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.
Just five months after being selected to receive the Founders Award from the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), Ronald Kendall now has the award in hand. The professor of environmental toxicology at Texas Tech University received the award earlier this month from SETAC during their Global Awards presentation in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The annual award is the highest honor SETAC can bestow on a member who has made outstanding contributions to scientific development. Kendall's career has focused a great deal of attention on the ecological impact of environmental contaminants on wildlife and an ecological approach to environmental risk assessment.
“To be invited to Copenhagen by SETAC and be featured at the awards ceremony was a humbling experience,” Kendall said. “To be asked to take the stage to address the close-to-filled auditorium as well as hundreds of members online was a true highlight of the trip that I appreciated very much.”
Kendall not only is a charter member of SETAC, serving as president from 1992-1993, but is the founding director of The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH) at Texas Tech as well as the founding chairman of the Department of Environmental Toxicology. Kendall's contributions have been key to large strides both TIEHH and SETAC have made over the years.
“I believe a global award of this level not only recognizes my long-term contribution to the environmental sciences, but also brings significant recognition to our Environmental Toxicology program at Texas Tech and recognizes Texas Tech as a leader in the field of environmental toxicology,” Kendall said.
Kendall's colleagues agree.
“This entire institute was his creation,” said Steven Presley, director of TIEHH. “I have the utmost respect for Dr. Kendall as a professional. To take a program that he is so passionate about and turn it into something that's still here 22 years later and still productive. – my hats off to him and congratulations.”
Kendall's work continues to evolve from a founder and leader to innovator.
“Twenty-five years later, I feel like I have come full circle academically and in the field of environmental toxicology in being recognized with the Founders Award,” Kendall said. “I am thrilled to not only achieve this personally, but also for my university.”
About the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
The Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) is an international nonprofit organization with more than 5,000 members in 90 countries dedicated to the advancement of environmental research and education.
About the Institute for Environmental and Human Health
The Institute of Environmental and Human Health was created in 1997 as a joint venture between Texas Tech and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center to assess the impact of toxic chemicals and diseases on the physical and human environments, including air, water, soil and animal life. Researchers investigate elements in the environment, both those that are naturally occurring such as disease and those caused by humans, such as nuclear activity, pollution or chemical or bioterrorism, which negatively impact the environment. It is one of the few labs in the country dedicated to environmental toxicology.
