Malcolm Hughes Endowment for Outreach

We honor the accomplishments of Malcolm Hughes in the fields of dendrochronology, dendroclimatology and paleoclimatology, to which he has made significant contributions (see the brief bio below). In particular, in the 1990s Malcolm and his colleagues established the relevance of climate history to assessing global warming. He has been a leader in research into periods of persistent climate anomalies in the past, including where and when these occurred, and why. This work shed light on climate dynamics while also providing critically important context for the recent global-scale climate changes that have been driven by human activities. With his network of international collaborators, Malcolm has explored and developed tree-ring records and their applications to dendroclimatology in almost every continent, helping to build research capacity through these collaborations. True to his background as a biologist, Malcolm’s pioneering work with Russian colleagues and others on modeling tree-ring formation and cambial processes has expanded our fundamental understanding of how and why tree rings function. Beyond research, Malcolm’s teaching and mentoring have fostered the development of several generations of dendrochronologists. During his time as Director, he guided the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research through major demographic and thematic transitions. This included placing the Lab, with units from several colleges, at the heart of UA’s role as a major center for the study of the Earth System and Global Change. His knowledge, guidance and advice have been invaluable to many of us, in research and more broadly, in the world of academia (and beyond!).

As we celebrate Malcolm's retirement, we invite you to make a gift of any size in recognition of all that he has done in his time at the University of Arizona. All gifts will be matched dollar-for-dollar, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor.

All gifts will be directed to the newly-established Malcolm Hughes Endowment for Outreach. This endowment supports the LTRR Outreach Program, the core of communicating science to a broader audience and serves as the “heartwood” of our science education program. Each year, thousands of visitors ranging from preschool through retiree are enriched through interactions with our researchers, docent outreach team, one-of-a-kind exhibits, lab tours, classroom visits and the Sky Island Science Investigators field classes. It is through your support that we are able to deliver a top-notch outreach and science driven education program. With the new endowment, our goal is to strengthen the existing program and develop new programs that foster the scientific literacy and career paths for elementary to undergraduate students.

A Brief Bio

Honors and Awards

Photos courtesy of Peter Brown.