Stanford postdoc wins a Science and SciLifeLab prize for young scientists
Birds that eat plastic may be doing so in part because it smells like food to them. MATTHEW SAVOCA, a postdoctoral fellow in biology at Stanford, explains the science behind this statement in an essay that won this year’s Science and SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists in the ecology and environment category.

Birds that eat plastic may be doing so in part because it smells like food to them. Matthew Savoca, a postdoctoral fellow in biology at Stanford, explains the science behind this statement in an essay that won this year’s Science and SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists in the ecology and environment category.
The prize, which aims to encourage promising early-career scientists, is based on applicants’ doctoral research. Savoca’s essay, published Nov. 22 in Science as part of his win, condenses a 150-page dissertation into less than 1,000 words - a task well-suited for Savoca, who has made a habit of communicating his science to broad audiences.
Explore More
-
Under the new partnership, Naval Postgraduate School students and faculty will learn and work alongside Stanford students and faculty to research solutions to climate change and energy security issues.
-
An artist and ocean scientist collaborated to create an installation that encourages playful reflection on human-environmental impact.
-
Stanford engineers, geophysicists, disease ecologists, musicologists and others soon will collaborate on finding new ways to detect and reduce wildfire risk; harness the sun’s power to purify water; interpret ocean health through sound and more.