Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Richard M. Kaminski of Mississippi State is a new Fellow of The Wildlife Society.
A professor at the university's Forest and Wildlife Research Center, he is being honored by the Bethesda, Md.-based organization for "distinguished and exceptional service" to the profession.
"Dr. Kaminski is known internationally for his research and contributions toward undergraduate and graduate education," said Bruce Leopold, MSU wildlife and fisheries department head. "His research is sound, always addresses critical issues facing managers, always is published in mainstream peer-reviewed journals, and produces outstanding and dedicated young professionals."
Kaminski has been honored twice earlier by the society for research publications dealing with waterfowl, wetlands and waterfowl hunting.
Appreciation for Kaminski's scientific investigations and teaching recently resulted in a privately funded scholarship given in his name that provides a substantial endowment for the waterfowl and wetlands undergraduate program, Leopold added.
In addition to his faculty duties, Kaminski currently serves as interim associate dean of the College of Forest Resources.
Founded in 1937, The Wildlife Society is an international, non-profit scientific and educational organization representing wildlife professionals. Promoting excellence in natural resource stewardship is its primary goal.
A 25-year faculty veteran of the land-grant university, Kaminski has been honored on campus with MSU's John Grisham Faculty Excellence Award, as well as an MSU Alumni Association award for graduate-level teaching. He also holds numerous other special recognitions from the college.
A Manitowoc, Wis., native, he received a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, and a master's and doctorate from Michigan State University.
"Dr. Kaminski is an exceptional professor and highly respected researcher throughout the U.S. and Canada," Leopold said. "Perhaps the greatest evidence of this prominence is his recent selection for Ducks Unlimited's Lifetime Achievement Award in Waterfowl and Wetlands Science and Conservation."
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.