NATCHITOCHES – Virginia Burkett of Many was awarded the 2025 John Maddox Prize, an annual award established by Sense about Science, an international organization that promotes the public interest and sound science evidence, and the scientific journal “Nature.” The prize honors those who have shown courage in defending science and evidence-based policy, especially in the face of public hostility. The award validates Burkett’s long career as a research scientist and recognizes “her significant body of work to improve understanding of the impact of climate change on ecosystems, and for her insistence that these impacts were appropriately and honestly represented,” according to journal “Nature.” Burkett is former chief scientist for Climate and Land Use Change at the U.S. G

See Full Page