Many people do not know that my university, the University of Southern California, is the custodian of the Tyler Prize, an honor given to those working in environmental science, health, and energy. The point of the prize is, not unlike the Nobel, to recognize work that has made exceptional contribution to the environmental field.

This year’s honorees are Laurie Marker of the Cheetah Conservation Fund and Stuart Pimm of Duke University. Both are conservationists; Marker is an expert in ecological restoration. Pimm is a conservation biologist who has written many, many policy papers on the fields.

Here’s the press release:

Winners of 2010 Tyler Environmental Prize Announced – USC News

And here is a listing of past laureates.