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Time Traveler Michael Novacek Will Receive Alumni Award American Museum of Natural History provost of science Michael Novacek (MA-'74) has been selected to receive the SDSU Alumni Association's Alumni of Distinction Award (Monty) for 2008. The prestigious Monty Award is the university's highest award for alumni. A paleontologist, Novacek's books run from the scholarly Extinction and Phylogeny and Mammal Phylogeny to several works that appeal to a broader readership, including Biodiversity Crisis, Dinosaurs of the Flaming Cliffs and Time Traveler. The Library and Information Access nominated Novacek for a Monty because "Time Traveler and his other books have made paleontology, a very technical subject, come alive for so many people," according to Dean Connie Vinita Dowell. "He is a credit to the national reputation of San Diego State University as an institution that furthers and supports the knowledge of science in our society."  After graduating from SDSU in 1974 with a master's degree in biology, Novacek completed his doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley, with honors for outstanding research. Novacek was a lecturer, assistant and associate professor of biology at SDSU between 1976 and 1982. He has been with the American Museum of Natural History in New York in a variety of positions since 1982 and has been vice-president and provost for science at the museum since 1994. His bibliography runs to more than 200 entries, including articles in Science and Nature and in scholarly biology and paleontology journals. Dinosaurs of the Flaming Cliffs and Time Traveler, which were both shortlisted by the New York Times, are semi-autobiographical works providing a popular account of his experiences on expeditions to the Gobi Desert. These expeditions have also been the subject of several documentaries aired on the PBS Nova series and on the Discovery Channel. His media appearances include a feature interview by Bill Moyers for PBS, as well as the Charlie Rose Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. His research has been supported by grants and awards from agencies including the National Science Foundation, Sloan Foundation and the National Geographic Society. He has received honorary doctorates from Long Island University and Beloit College. "San Diego State fostered my interests in nature and I am very proud of that experience and association," Novacek said. Novacek will receive his Monty Award on March 29, 2008, at the annual Alumni Association banquet. |
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