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Diane McKnight

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Diane McKnight
Diane McKnight in the McMurdo Dry Valleys
Born (1953-03-22) March 22, 1953 (age 71)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materMassachusetts Institute of Technology (BS, MS, PhD)
AwardsFellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Scientific career
FieldsLimnology
Biogeochemistry
InstitutionsUniversity of Colorado Boulder
Websiteinstaar.colorado.edu/people/diane-m-mcknight/

Diane McKnight (born March 22, 1953) is a distinguished professor of civil, environmental, and architectural engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder and a fellow at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR).[1] McKnight is a founding principal investigator of the National Science Foundation's Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica.[2]

Early life and education

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McKnight received a BS in mechanical engineering (1975), MS in civil engineering (1978), and her PhD in environmental engineering in 1979, all from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[3]

Career and impact

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After completing her graduate studies, McKnight began working for the US Geological Survey (USGS) as a research scientist for the Water Resources Division.[4] As part of her work with USGS, she conducted research on lakes in the blast zone of Mount St. Helens in 1980.[5]

In 1996, McKnight transitioned to the University of Colorado Boulder,[5] where she became one of the founding principal investigators of the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research Program[6] in Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys. While continuing to conduct extensive research in Antarctica, she also conducts research in the Rocky Mountains,[7] where she develops interactions with state and local groups involved in mine drainage and watershed issues.[5] In total McKnight has authored or co-authored over 300 publications.[8]

McKnight has been nationally and internationally recognized for her "seminal"[9] and "visionary"[10] contributions to Antarctic science. McKnight Creek in Taylor Valley, Victoria Land is named after her. She is also responsible for naming Antarctic features, including Furlong Creek.

Her contributions to major scientific institutions include service on several National Research Council committees; service on the Water, Science and Technology Board and the Polar Research Board;[4] and tenure as president of the American Geophysical Union Biogeosciences section.[10] In 2015 she was awarded CU-Boulder's Distinguished Research Lectureship, and in 2021, McKnight was recognized as a Distinguished Professor by the University of Colorado Boulder.[11][12] McKnight also was founding editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences.[10]

Awards and honors

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Selected works

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  • McKnight, Diane M., et al. "Spectrofluorometric characterization of dissolved organic matter for indication of precursor organic material and aromaticity". Limnology and Oceanography. 46.1 (2001): 38-48.
  • Aiken, George R., et al. Humic Substances in Soil, Sediment, and Water: Geochemistry, Isolation and Characterization. John Wiley & Sons, 1985.
  • Tranvik, Lars J., et al. "Lakes and reservoirs as regulators of carbon cycling and climate". Limnology and Oceanography. 54.6 part 2 (2009): 2298-2314.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Diane M. McKnight INSTAAR". instaar.colorado.edu. University of Colorado Boulder. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  2. ^ "Colorado high peaks losing glaciers as climate warms". nsf.gov. National Science Foundation. 2016. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  3. ^ "Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering". colorado.edu. University of Colorado Boulder. 2014-11-25. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  4. ^ a b Committee on US Army Corps of Engineers Water Resources Science, Engineering, and Planning (2012). Corps of Engineers Water Resources Infrastructure: Deterioration, Investment, or Divestment?. Washington, D.C: The National Academies Press.
  5. ^ a b c Pasquale, Cynthia (2012-06-21). "Five questions for Diane McKnight". connections.cu.edu. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  6. ^ "Principal Investigators". www.mcmlter.org. McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  7. ^ Worl, Justin. "What The Colorado Waste Water Spill Tells Us About Mining Contamination". Time. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  8. ^ "Diane Mcknight". mcmlter.org. McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  9. ^ a b "John Dalton Medal". European Geosciences Union. 2015. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  10. ^ a b c d "McKnight Receives 2014 Hydrologic Sciences Award". honors.agu.org. American Geophysical Union. 2015-04-09. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  11. ^ a b "6 CU Boulder faculty members become distinguished professors". CU Boulder Today. 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  12. ^ a b "Diane McKnight named a CU Distinguished Professor | McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER". mcm.lternet.edu. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  13. ^ Lozier, Susan; Myles, LaToya (September 15, 2021). "Congratulations to the 2021 AGU Union Medal, Award, and Prize Recipients". Eos. No. 102. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  14. ^ "McKnight to deliver Distinguished Research Lecture". www.colorado.edu. University of Colorado Boulder. 2015. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  15. ^ "Professor Diane M. McKnight". www.nae.edu. National Academy of Engineering. 2012. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  16. ^ "Three CU-Boulder Faculty Members Elected AAAS Fellows for 2009". News Center. 2009-12-17. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  17. ^ "Langbein Lecture - Hydrology". hydrology.agu.org. American Geophysical Union. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  18. ^ "Union Fellows". honors.agu.org. American Geophysical Union. 2015-03-23. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
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