At a virtual public forum on January 10, EWC Research fellow Dr. Micah Fisher presented his research as the US nominee for the APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research, and Education (ASPIRE).

“I was so honored to be the US nominee for ASPIRE because it is reflective of a series of intensive and growing collaborations across Southeast Asia,” Fisher stated. “This award is really representative of how hard we’ve worked to establish a network of up-and-coming researchers across the region, providing support to strategically build capacity for research with diverse communities on environmental change.”

Fisher added, “Along the way, we have collectively learned so much about deforestation, land-use change, livelihoods, migration and some of the most pressing issues of our time. What I’ve always set out to do through my research initiatives and classroom learning approaches is to provide a platform for spotlighting multiple perspectives—especially local ones—on the complexities of environmental change.”

ASPIRE is an annual award that recognizes scientists under 40 who have demonstrated a commitment to both excellence in scientific research, as evidenced by scholarly publication and cooperation with scientists from other APEC member economies. The 2022 prize's theme was “Innovation to achieve economic, environmental, and social goals” and focused on topics such as biological advancement, sustainability and agricultural systems. Fisher is one of 13 nominees from APEC economies for the 2022 award.

At a virtual public forum on January 10, EWC Research fellow Dr. Micah Fisher presented his research as the US nominee for the APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research, and Education (ASPIRE).

“I was so honored to be the US nominee for ASPIRE because it is reflective of a series of intensive and growing collaborations across Southeast Asia,” Fisher stated. “This award is really representative of how hard we’ve worked to establish a network of up-and-coming researchers across the region, providing support to strategically build capacity for research with diverse communities on environmental change.”

Fisher added, “Along the way, we have collectively learned so much about deforestation, land-use change, livelihoods, migration and some of the most pressing issues of our time. What I’ve always set out to do through my research initiatives and classroom learning approaches is to provide a platform for spotlighting multiple perspectives—especially local ones—on the complexities of environmental change.”

ASPIRE is an annual award that recognizes scientists under 40 who have demonstrated a commitment to both excellence in scientific research, as evidenced by scholarly publication and cooperation with scientists from other APEC member economies. The 2022 prize's theme was “Innovation to achieve economic, environmental, and social goals” and focused on topics such as biological advancement, sustainability and agricultural systems. Fisher is one of 13 nominees from APEC economies for the 2022 award.