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CORVALLIS - Oregon State University President Paul Risser will be honored by the U.S. chapter of the International Association for Landscape Ecology at the group's annual awards banquet on April 17 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Risser will receive the 2000 Distinguished Landscape Ecologist Award, which is given by the association for outstanding scientific achievement in landscape ecology over a period of a decade or more. It is the most prestigious honor bestowed by the chapter.

"I'm honored to receive this award," Risser said. "The association is active in natural resource management, land planning and design, conservation, and land use policy. I truly appreciate the fact that they recognize my work in this field."

Risser, who has been president of OSU since Jan. 1, 1996, is an internationally known scientist. He began his academic career as a biologist and ecologist, studying grassland and forest ecosystems, environmental planning and management, and global change.

A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Risser has been active in national and international science organizations. He served as president of the Ecological Society of America and the American Institute of Biological Sciences, and was secretary general to the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment, headquartered in Paris, France.

The International Association for Landscape Ecology aims to develop landscape ecology as a scientific basis for analysis, planning and management of the landscapes of the world. The association advances international cooperation and interdisciplinary synergism within the field, through scientific, scholarly, educational and communication activities.