Professor Sally Holbrook, Co-PI of both the Moorea Coral Reef and Santa Barbara Coastal Long Term Ecological Research sites and faculty member in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, & Marine Biology, was named the Outstanding Graduate Mentor for 2013-14 by the UCSB Academic Senate during an award ceremony held on Thursday, May 8th, 2014. Shown here with Dr Andrew Rassweiler, a former graduate student and now professional researcher with the UCSB Marine Science Institute. Professor Holbrook has chaired or co-chaired 21 PhD dissertation committees and 12 Masters theses. She also has served on an additional 21 doctoral and 5 Masters committees.

Professor Holbrook’s success as a mentor can be measured using several metrics: through the financial support that she offers graduate students from her grants or assistance in writing new proposals; in the quality of research that her students generate (reflected by the excellent publication record of her students); and by the professional success of her students. One of her colleagues makes particular note of "the wide range of high profile career positions occupied by her former students including: professors and researchers at major universities, fisheries biologists in government agencies, biological consultants in private industry, educators and directors at public aquaria and non-profit organizations, and government administrators (e.g., the Program Examiner for NOAA in the White House Office of Management and Budget in Washington, D.C, and the West Coast Regional Director for the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries)." In fact, one of her mentees is a departmental colleague (and was the department chair), and another is a recipient of this year’s Distinguished Teaching Award. Congratulations Sally!!!