Diane McKnight (born March 22, 1953) is a professor of

civil Civil may refer to: *Civic virtue, or civility *Civil action, or lawsuit * Civil affairs *Civil and political rights *Civil disobedience *Civil engineering *Civil (journalism), a platform for independent journalism *Civilian, someone not a membe ...

environmental A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

, and

architectural engineering Architectural engineers apply and theoretical knowledge to the engineering design of buildings and building systems. The goal is to engineer high performance buildings that are sustainable, economically viable and ensure the safety health. Archi ...

at the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado syst ...

and a

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

at the

Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research The Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) is a scientific institute that is part of the University of Colorado Boulder. Its research mission is to " evelopscientific knowledge of physical and biogeochemical environmental processes at ...

(INSTAAR). McKnight is a founding

principal investigator In many countries, the term principal investigator (PI) refers to the holder of an independent grant and the lead researcher for the grant project, usually in the sciences, such as a laboratory study or a clinical trial. The phrase is also often us ...

of the

National Science Foundation's National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program in the

McMurdo Dry Valleys The McMurdo Dry Valleys are a row of largely snow-free valleys in Antarctica, located within Victoria Land west of McMurdo Sound. The Dry Valleys experience extremely low humidity and surrounding mountains prevent the flow of ice from nearby ...

of Antarctica.

Early life and education

McKnight received a BS in mechanical engineering (1975), MS in civil engineering (1978), and her PhD in environmental engineering in 1979, all from

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

Career and impact

After completing her graduate studies, McKnight began working for the

US Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, an ...

(USGS) as a research scientist for the Water Resources Division. As part of her work with USGS, she conducted research on lakes in the blast zone of

Mount St. Helens Mount St. Helens (known as Lawetlat'la to the indigenous Cowlitz people, and Loowit or Louwala-Clough to the Klickitat) is an active stratovolcano located in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United St ...

in 1980. In 1996, McKnight transitioned to the University of Colorado – Boulder, where she became one of the founding principal investigators of the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research Program in Antarctica's

. While continuing to conduct extensive research in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

, she also conducts research in the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

, where she develops interactions with state and local groups involved in mine drainage and watershed issues. In total McKnight has authored or co-authored over 300 publications. McKnight has been nationally and internationally recognized for her "seminal" and "visionary" contributions to Antarctic science. McKnight Creek in Taylor Valley, Victoria Land is named after her. She is also responsible for naming Antarctic features, including Furlong Creek. Her contributions to major scientific institutions include service on several National Research Council committees; service on the Water, Science and Technology Board and the Polar Research Board; and tenure as president of the

American Geophysical Union The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, atmospheric, ocean, hydrologic, space, and planetary scientists and enthusiasts that according to their website includes 130,000 people (not members). AGU's act ...

Biogeosciences section. In 2015 she was awarded CU-Boulder's Distinguished Research Lectureship, which the university cites as being "among the highest honors bestowed by the faculty upon a faculty member at CU-Boulder". McKnight also was founding editor of the '' Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences''.

Awards and honors

* Robert E. Horton Medal, American Geophysical Union, 2021 * John Dalton Medal,

European Geosciences Union The European Geosciences Union (EGU) is a non-profit international union in the fields of Earth, planetary, and space sciences whose vision is to "realise a sustainable and just future for humanity and for the planet." The organisation has hea ...

, 2015 * Distinguished Research Lectureship, CU-Boulder, 2015 * Hydrologic Science Award,

, 2014 * Elected member,

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy ...

, 2012 *

Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellowship of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (FAAAS) is an honor accorded by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to distinguished persons who are members of the Association. Fellows are elected ...

, 2009 * Walter B. Langbein Lectureship, American Geophysical Union, 2005 * Fellow, American Geophysical Union, 2004 * Meritorious Service Award,

U.S. Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and ...

, 1995

Selected works

* McKnight, Diane M., et al. "Spectrofluorometric characterization of dissolved organic matter for indication of precursor organic material and aromaticity". ''

Limnology and Oceanography ''Limnology and Oceanography'' (L&O) is a bimonthly peer-reviewed scientific journal focused on all aspects of limnology and oceanography. It was established in 1956 and originally published through the Association for the Sciences of Limnolog ...

''. 46.1 (2001): 38-48. * Aiken, George R., et al. ''Humic Substances in Soil, Sediment, and Water: Geochemistry, Isolation and Characterization''. John Wiley & Sons, 1985. * Tranvik, Lars J., et al. "Lakes and reservoirs as regulators of carbon cycling and climate". ''Limnology and Oceanography''. 54.6 part 2 (2009): 2298-2314.

References

External links

*
Diane McKnight
on

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{{DEFAULTSORT:McKnight, Diane American women scientists 1953 births Living people University of Colorado Boulder faculty MIT School of Engineering alumni United States Geological Survey personnel American Antarctic scientists Women Antarctic scientists 21st-century American women Presidents of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography