Purpose:

To honour the legacy of Dr. Bill Austin by promoting educational efforts aimed at understanding and respecting the inhabitants and ecosystems of coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest.

The Award:

This unique award is available to any Indigenous or Canadian resident of BC who proposes a project that will significantly enhance education about preserving, understanding, and respecting marine ecosystems and marine organisms within coastal waters of British Columbia. Eligible applicants may be K-12 teachers, undergraduate or graduate students, college or university faculty members, park or aquarium interpreters, or any other community educators who promote ocean conservation through enhancing public awareness and education about marine resources. The award will provide:

1. A two-year individual membership in NAME
2. The cost of registration, accommodation, and meals for a NAME conference hosted in BC
3. $1000 grant to fund expenses associated with undertaking the proposed project

The successful applicant will provide a presentation (poster or 15-min oral presentation) describing the nature and results of their project at a NAME conference in BC.

We look for role models who have demonstrated a commitment to ocean education and/or conservation and a deep respect for Mother Earth. If this sounds like you, then be sure to apply to bc@pacname.org

Applications will be assessed by a jury of recognized marine educators and researchers.

How to apply:

Applicants for the Bill Austin Award should submit a document answering the following questions:

1. The applicant’s qualifications and experiences demonstrating a commitment to preserving oceans and ocean resources through education (250 words or fewer)
2. A brief description of the proposed project, its feasibility, estimated costs, and the expected educational impact (250 words or fewer, point or paragraph form accepted)

Applications should be sent via email to bc@pacname.org and must be received by May 31, 2026. The successful candidate will be notified by July 31, 2026 and announced at the annual conference in October 2026. Proposed work will be carried out during the 2026-2027 academic year and presented at the 2027 NAME-BC conference.

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We honour the memory of Dr. William C. Austin (affectionately known as “Bill the Glass Sponge Guy”), a highly regarded marine biologist and marine educator, who was a member of the Northwest Aquatic & Marine Educators Association for many years beginning in the early 1990’s. Bill co-chaired the BC Chapter of NAME (2000-2002), and served as interim Director of the BC Chapter (2002-2003). Bill inspired people with his unparalleled knowledge of, and passion for, marine life and marine ecosystems. He was one of those marine scientists who truly understood the importance of educating people of all ages about our ocean and water resources. He generously took the time to teach the general public, graduate students, schoolteachers and children of all ages about the incredible marine life of our coast.

Born in New Jersey, Bill received his doctorate from Stanford University in 1966, and studied in Denmark for a year before taking a faculty position at Simon Fraser University. In 1972 he was instrumental in establishing the Bamfield Marine Station, now the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre. He taught the first Bamfield Marine Station marine ecology course in the old BC Packers building across from the station.

Bill was passionate about marine life and studied and documented marine life of the Northwest Pacific Coast for close to 60 years. He was particularly interested to catalogue known invertebrates in Barkley Sound published in an exhaustive manuscript. His continued research focused on brittle stars and sponges. He was deeply involved in environmental preservation and fought for the protection of rare 9,000 year-old Glass Sponge Reefs along the BC coast. He served on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Strait Alliance during the 1990’s and was elected the board’s first secretary because he was the only person present who owned a laptop.

Bill left Simon Fraser University to establish the Khoyatan Marine Laboratory (a consulting and research firm), as well as the Marine Ecology Centre (a teaching facility) in Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island. This one-of-a-kind floating marine lab offered unique and fun programs for schools, and a place for the general public to see, touch and study marine and intertidal creatures. The Marine Ecology Centre joined forces with the Sidney Whale Museum to form a world-class public aquarium, known today as the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea, in Sidney, B.C.

Dr. William C. Austin passed peacefully March 22, 2018 in Victoria.

As Ernest Hemingway famously said:

Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.