RC Thailand Coordinator Wins Coveted United Nations Award

Dr. Chavanich, an associate professor of marine science at Chulalongkorn University also serves as Deputy Managing Director at Chula Unisearch and is Reef Check's Coordinator for Thailand. She recently was awarded the “N.K. Panikkar Medal” by UNESCO- IOC (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission).  The medal is awarded every two years as part of the N.K. Panikkar Memorial Lecture Series, dedicated to the memory of the noted Indian oceanographer. Dr. Chavanich delivered her speech on “Capacity development on coral conservation and restoration in the Western Pacific region.”  Delegates from 138 countries attended the UNESCO meeting in Paris, and many were pleased to hear Dr. Chavanich's comments about how Reef Check contributes to capacity building and citizen science in Thailand.

Dr. Chavanich also organized an international meeting in August on introduced species and marine debris on coral reefs in the western Pacific region, sponsored by UNESCO-IOC/WESTPAC and the National Council of Thailand.

On behalf of everyone involved in Reef Check, we wish to offer our heartfelt congratulations to “Apple.”