Socolow honored for environmental achievement

Robert Socolow, a Princeton professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, has received the Keystone Award for Leadership in the Environment, which recognizes contributions to solving society's environmental problems.

Socolow received the award at a June 10 dinner in Washington, D.C., from the Keystone Center, a Colorado-based nonprofit organization that brings together public, private and civic sector leaders to confront societal issues and prepare future generations to effectively approach the questions they will face.

Recipients of the award have demonstrated a history of achievement with a strong sense of vision, a proven ability to motivate others, dedication to teamwork and consensus, and the drive and ability to initiate fundamental and long-term positive change, according to the Keystone Center website.

Socolow's research focuses on global carbon management and fossil-carbon sequestration. He is the co-principal investigator with Princeton ecologist Stephen Pacala of the University's Carbon Mitigation Initiative, a project that coordinates research in environmental science, energy technology, geological engineering and public policy. 

Socolow and Pacala are the authors of "Stabilization wedges: Solving the climate problem for the next 50 years with current technologies," an influential paper published in the journal Science in 2004.

Socolow has taught at Princeton since 1971. He serves on two committees of the National Academies, America's Energy Future and America's Climate Choices. He was a member of the Grand Challenges for Engineering Committee of the National Academy of Engineering from 2006 to 2008 and served as the editor of Annual Review of Energy and the Environment from 1992 to 2002.