Argentine biologist Sandra Diaz has received the prestigious international award from the Linnean Society of London

the Argentine biologist Sandra Diazresearcher at the Interdisciplinary Institute of Plant Biology (IMBIV) in Conicet and the National University of Córdoba (UNC) distinguished Linnean Society of LondonAnd The oldest natural history organization in the world. The award is given each year to those who research and make contributions to True understanding of nature.

This distinction is one of the most that biologists, ecologists, botanists, and zoologists can have. The jury awarded an award Linnean Medal For the Argentine scientist about her career around the world, her legacy in the natural sciences and her work in the Functional plant biodiversity And how they interact with environmental changes and affect other organisms.

Diaz is a Senior Researcher at Conicet and Research Professor in UNU’s School of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences. He got important privileges like Member of the American and French Academies of Sciences And the prize Princess of Asturias for scientific and technical research in 2019. That year, she was also named by the prestigious Nature magazine as one of the “Ten Important People in Science”.

Natural history combines the natural sciences with the social sciences, art, and a lot of passion. In the face of current challenges, Natural history is more important than ever, to the point of becoming indispensable. “I feel greatly honored by this award, and I am very humbled to look at the list of previous award recipients, which includes many of my most impressive scholars,” Diaz said in a statement from the University of North Carolina.

Regarding how functional ecology helps to understand current environmental problems, Diaz noted that his research seeks to “bring people closer to detailed technical information that allows them to better understand what’s important.”It is important that non-human beings are to perform our lives as individuals and communities. Not that we are in a position to tell them what to do, but we can introduce technical elements that are not obvious to non-professionals, so that the decisions they make, whatever they may be, are more informed.”

The results of his research not only remain in the laboratory, but are amplified in the context of an environmental crisis: “We always try to put our contribution into a broader context. We are clear on that Although the biodiversity crisis has to do with biological causes, the root causes are all social, economic, cultural and political.. Therefore, any measure to try to solve it that only takes into account the biological component is doomed to failure. Whether or not things change depends on the will and interests of the actors involved. It is not scientific arguments. But having them at the table helps make sense of some things and empowers those actors who want change.

The Linnean Society was founded in 1788, and in 1858 its audience first heard of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. It owes its name to Carl Linnaeus (Carlos Linnaeus), the Swedish naturalist responsible for the current classification of organisms with the binomial nomenclature in Latin. For example: Homo sapiens for humans.

“This year we had several nominees, which gives an encouraging idea of ​​the amazing work being done in the field and in the lab. The 2023 winners represent innovative thinking, inspiring breakthroughs and a lively passion for understanding and protecting nature,” said Anjali Goswami, President of the Linnean Society.

Diaz’s scientific work includes influence Environmental change affects the biodiversity of ecosystems. He has also investigated the functional biodiversity of plants, identifying functional syndromes, i.e. the ‘patterns’ or ‘basic ways of being a plant’ and how they integrate and interact with environmental changes and also how they affect other organisms. Another line of research he is doing is interdisciplinary interaction. Understand that ecology, other natural sciences, social sciences and humanities can jointly search for solutions to complex problems.

The Argentine biologist has been honored with various awards and prizes, including the Cozzarelli Prize, the Senckenberg Prize for Nature Research, the Gunnerus Prize in Sustainability Science, the Princess of Asturias Prize for Scientific and Technical Research, and the Frontiers of Knowledge in Ecology and Conservation by the BBVA Foundation.

In addition, in 2019 she was recognized by Nature magazine as one of the most influential scientists worldwide, and is among the top 1% cited and referred scientists on the planet within her discipline. This year, in the context of International Women’s Day, Nature has again chosen her, along with five other researchers, as an inspiration for women in science.

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