NEW YORK RESEARCHER RECEIVES AWARD

The Center for North American Herpetology is pleased to announce that the recipient of

THE JOSEPH B. SLOWINSKI AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN SNAKE SYSTEMATICS for 2008 is

FRANK T. BURBRINK
College of Staten Island/City University of New York
2800 Victory Boulevard
Staten Island, New York

On September 12th 2001, the world lost one of its premier herpetologists, a loss that went
virtually unnoticed in the wake of the tragedy that befell the United States the previous
day. Joseph Bruno Slowinski, the 39-year old curator of amphibians, turtles, reptiles, and
crocodilians at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, died in the jungles of
Burma from the bite of a venomous snake. Joe was bitten on September 11th and
succumbed to the effects of the bite the next day. Eventually, the world took notice and
media outlets throughout the U.S. and beyond chronicled Joe Slowinski's exemplary career,
cut so tragically short.

Memories of Joe Slowinski may dim through time, both among the public and his fellow
biologists. Thus, The Center for North American Herpetology was honored to establish a
permanent endowment in 2002 entitled

THE JOSEPH B. SLOWINSKI AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN SNAKE SYSTEMATICS

This fitting and everlasting tribute, brought about through the generous contributions of
Joe's friends and colleagues as well as a significant gift from Deutsche Bank of New York,
was created as a trust in perpetuity, with the commitment to award it annually, beginning
in 2003, to the biologist that published in the previous calendar year the premier scientific
paper on snake systematics, an area of research to which Joe Slowinski was deeply
committed.

A distinguished committee, comprised of Dr. Simon Creer (University of Wales, Bangor),
Dr. Hussam Zaher (Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brasil) and Dr.
Christopher L. Parkinson (committee chairperson, University of Central Florida, Orlando),
has deemed the paper entitled

HOW AND WHEN DID OLD WORLD RAT SNAKES DISPERSE INTO THE NEW WORLD?

published in volume 43 of the journal, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, as the most
distinguished paper on snake systematics to appear worldwide during 2007. The paper
was co-authored with Dr. Robin Lawson (California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco).

As senior author of the paper, Dr. Burbrink becomes the sixth recipient of The Slowinski
Award, and will receive a check from The Center for North American Herpetology for $500
along with a commemorative memento in recognition of his achievement.

To confirm this news release and for additional information, contact Dr. Burbrink at his
most recent address at

Frank T. Burbrink
College of Staten Island/City University of New York
2800 Victory Boulevard
Staten Island, New York 10314
(718) 982-3961
burbrink@mail.csi.cuny.edu

and/or

Joseph T. Collins
Director
The Center for North American Herpetology
1502 Medinah Circle
Lawrence, Kansas 66047 USA
(785) 393-4757
jcollins@ku.edu

More information about The Slowinski Award can be accessed at

http://www.cnah.org/slowinskiaward.asp

A pdf of the article by Burbrink and Lawson is available from the CNAH PDF Library at

http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp