Madhura Kulkarni, a Cornell Ph.D. candidate in natural resources, has been named one of two 2006 Emerging Public Policy Leaders by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), a Washington-based nonprofit scientific association. The honor recognizes "graduate students poised to make a contribution in both the biological sciences and science policy."

Kulkarni is studying denitrification -- nitrogen pollution management -- for a doctorate in biogeochemistry and environmental biocomplexity. She has received a variety of awards and grants, including a NASA Earth Systems Science Fellowship, a National Science Foundation Integrated Graduate Education and Research Training Fellowship and a Cornell Center for the Environment Student Environmental Research Grant.

As part of the award, Kulkarni participated in a two-day event in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Biological and Ecological Sciences Coalition and the Coalition on Funding Agricultural Research Missions. She also met with members of Congress and attended briefings by key government officials and a reception honoring members of Congress for their work on behalf of science.

AIBS is an umbrella organization for the biological sciences that engages in coalition activities with its members in research, education and public policy.