At the Inaugural TREVOR symposium that was held at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (UK) on 9-11 August 2023, Dr. Venetia Stuart, former Project Scientist of the International Ocean Colour Coordinating Group (IOCCG) was awarded the first Trevor Platt Science Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award for her role in capacity building in ocean colour. The award was presented to her by Prof. John Field from South Africa, who had been Venetia’s PhD thesis supervisor. He noted that she had been an exemplary student and it made him feel very old to have his former students retiring from their employment. It was through John Field that Trevor Platt met Venetia Stuart, and their association with IOCCG was legendary.
During the presentation ceremony, Dr. Shubha Sathyendranath spoke for the awards committee. The award recognized Dr. Stuart’s outstanding service to the ocean colour community over many decades. Her selfless and self-effacing attitude to all her actions, and the invariably pleasant manner in which she communicated with everyone came in for high praise. She is noted for her positive attitude to all challenges that come her way, and for never saying no to any request addressed to her. Furthermore, when she said yes, her follow-through was impeccable and she could be relied on to do an outstanding job. The quality of her outputs was always of the highest standard. As the Series Editor of the IOCCG Reports, she maintained a very high standard for each of the reports, working unstintingly to ensure quality of content and presentation. The award is a recognition of Dr. Stuart’s dedication and commitment to capacity building, beyond the call of duty.
Accepting the award, which came as a complete surprise, Dr. Stuart expressed her profound sense of honour at being recognized. It also provided her with an opportunity to acknowledge the incredible mentorship provided by Dr. Trevor Platt since their collaborative journey began in 1997. His invaluable guidance and profound insights helped to strengthen numerous international capacity-building programs, including the IOCCG’s, and also played a pivotal role in shaping her career, for which she is forever grateful.
The TPSF Lifetime Achievement Award for Capacity Building was a bespoke glass art piece created by Ian Nicholls of Plymouth Glass Gallery https://plymouthglassgallery.com/inhouse/ and was inspired by the interplay of light on water and on phytoplankton blooms in the oceans.
Dr. Venetia Stuart at the Awards Ceremony, with Prof. John Field and Dr. Shubha Sathyendranath
