Graduate wins top professional ecology award

A graduate from Northumbria has been announced as the winner of a coveted environmental award.

Scott Mackenzie, a recent Environmental Management graduate, won the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management’s (CIEEM) Undergraduate Student Project Award for his dissertation studying different types of land use in Northumberland National Park and the variations this causes in the presence of invertebrates in its upland streams.

CIEEM is the leading professional membership body representing and supporting ecologists and environmental managers in Britain and abroad. The annual CIEEM Awards celebrate outstanding work in the ecological profession, with the Student Project Award recognising achievement in planning, undertaking and reporting a project or dissertation.

“I'm thrilled to have received this award from such a respected professional body in my field,” said Scott.

“The support I received from my supervisor and lecturers at Northumbria was extremely helpful from start to finish and enabled me to produce the dissertation to a high standard.”

The event, held at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, was hosted by comedienne Helen Lederer and included speeches by leading environmentalist Chris Baines and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Science, Lord de Mauley.

Engineering and Environment Enterprise Fellow Dr Peter Glaves was there to cheer Scott on. He said: “This award demonstrates the high quality and practical relevance of the work our environmental management students are producing. There has already been interest in Scott’s findings from consultants and land management organisations.”

Scott faced tough competition at this year’s awards, which were bigger than any previous year.

Sally Hayns, Chief Executive of CIEEM, said: “With more categories than ever before, this year’s awards ceremony is an opportunity for us to shine a light on individuals and organisations across the country that are leading and developing pioneering ecology projects and research, many of which have made a substantial impact in protecting and enhancing Britain’s biodiversity.”

Since graduating, Scott has worked as an Assistant Ecologist for EcoNorth, a growing and Ecological Consultancy Business based in Newcastle.

He added: “I feel the award from CIEEM will be recognised by future employers and research institutions. It will really help to advance my career in ecology and environmental management. I’m grateful to Northumbria University for giving me this opportunity and for all the support I received from academic staff during my degree.”