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Dr. Robert Malmsheimer and Dr. Ruth Yanai
Ruth Yanai, Robert Malmsheimer Named SUNY Distinguished Professors
Syracuse, N.Y. – The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), one of the nation’s premier colleges focused exclusively on the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable future, is pleased to announce Dr. Ruth Yanai and Dr. Robert Malmsheimer have been named SUNY Distinguished Professors.
"Being named a SUNY Distinguished Professor is a testament to the unwavering commitment to excellence and the tireless pursuit of knowledge,” said ESF President Joanie Mahoney. “Congratulations to Dr. Yanai and Dr. Malmsheimer for achieving this distinguished honor, which is a true reflection of their unparalleled dedication, passion, and exceptional contributions to their fields, their students, and ESF."
Dr. Ruth Yanai — SUNY Distinguished Professor
Dr. Yanai is a productive and accomplished scholar in ESF’s Department of Sustainable Resources Management. She has made major contributions to data science, forest ecosystem ecology, and biogeochemistry over several decades. Her scholarship is widely recognized by both the national and international forest ecology research community. She has developed an outstanding research program involving a variety of key questions in forest and soil ecology, while at the same time performing valuable service on many fronts for the college and her professional community.
She is a productive researcher, publishing more than 100 journal articles, and acquiring over $7 million dollars in grants. Yanai’s publication record puts her in the top 2 percent of forest ecology scientists in the world. Her citation record (over 8,000) demonstrates her broad and deep research impact and puts her as one of the more impactful professors at ESF and in the world.
Yanai has presented more than 200 papers and has been invited to give over 50 presentations, many to international audiences. Her international reputation as a scientist has led to invitations to be a visiting scientist in other countries, including Japan and New Zealand. Yanai has coordinated national and international forest ecology conferences and workshops and served as an editor/advisor for scientific journals.
Yanai is an active role model for graduate students at ESF, mentoring and graduating 23 Master of Science students and five Ph.D.s, and supporting five post-doctoral research associates. She has supported these graduate students and research associates in her Forest Ecology lab with 45 grants garnered while a professor at ESF (since 1994). And these students have been active partners with Yanai in publications and presentations.
In 2020, Yanai was honored with the national Barrington Moore Memorial Award by the Society of American Foresters (SAF). The award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in biological research leading to the advancement of forestry, is evidence that she has conducted, for over three decades, distinguished research, scholarship, and creative activity with international impact.
The Distinguished Professorship is conferred upon faculty having achieved national or international prominence and a distinguished reputation within the individual’s chosen field through significant contributions to the research and scholarship.
Dr. Robert Malmsheimer — SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor
In Dr. Malmsheimer’s 20-year career in ESF’s Department of Sustainable Resources Management, he has served as a dedicated and inspirational teacher and engaged faculty member. Currently, Malmsheimer teaches two large required undergraduate courses and two medium-sized elective undergraduate and graduate courses focused on environmental and natural resources law and policy, and business law. His elective courses have high enrollments because of the quality of his lectures and his highly evident passion for teaching. He incorporates the Socratic method into his courses to help students think critically and apply course concepts to a variety of situations. Malmsheimer regularly updates his course content to reflect timely and relevant topics and current legislation and administrative policies. For his efforts as an educator, he consistently receives high course evaluations, and his courses are some of the highest ranked in his department.
Malmsheimer has received all three teaching awards available for faculty at ESF: the Distinguished Teaching Award from the Undergraduate Student Association in 2001, the College Foundation Award for Exceptional Achievement in Teaching in 2011, and the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2019.
In addition to his excellence in teaching, Malmsheimer is an active scholar. He has obtained over $3 million in grant funds for research projects and has used those funds to support graduate student research. He has published 36 peer-reviewed articles, many co-authored with his graduate students. In recognition of his long-standing service to forestry at the local, state, and national level, he was named a Fellow of the Society of American Foresters in 2009. He incorporates this research and experiences with policymakers to enrich his courses.
Malmsheimer is committed to providing service to students at ESF, advising more than 25 students each semester and having served as ESF’s prelaw advisor and pre-M.P.A. advisor. He has served as the major professor for 35 graduate students.
He is easily accessible, approachable, and deeply committed to and passionate about his students’ success.
The Distinguished Teaching Professorship is conferred upon faculty having achieved a distinguished reputation for commitment to teaching. Teaching mastery, consistently demonstrated over multiple years at various levels, contributions to the discipline and to the University, the State of New York, or the nation by the use of innovative pedagogy and the sustained application of intellectual skills drawing from the candidate’s scholarly and research interests are the hallmarks of this award.
About SUNY ESF
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable and resilient future through design, policy, and management of the environment and natural resources. Members of the College community share a passion for protecting the health of the planet and a deep commitment to the rigorous application of science to improve the way humans interact with the world. The College offers academic programs ranging from the associate of applied science to the Doctor of Philosophy. ESF students live, study and do research on the main campus in Syracuse, N.Y., and on 25,000 acres of field stations in a variety of ecosystems across the state.