New Professorship Honors Distinguished Environmental Scientist
 Professor Stephanie Pfirman, chair of the Department of Environmental Science and a specialist in the study of environmental changes in the Arctic, has been recognized for her contributions with an endowed professorship that will support her research and teaching at Barnard. Martin Hirschorn, a generous supporter of the College, has endowed the chair to support Pfirman's work.
Pfirman chaired the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s advisory committee on polar programs, and was the first chair of NSF's environmental research and education advisory committee, among many other accomplishments.
Hirschorn's past generosity to Barnard includes an endowed chair for the economics department as well as two annual prizes recognizing excellent writing by economics majors. (His late wife, Alena Wels Hirschorn '58, majored in economics and maintained a strong connection to the College throughout her life.) "I've always been interested in education, as well as the environment," he says. "Among the many environmental crises we face are shortages of potable water in certain regions, paired with explosive population growth. If there's any chance of solving these and other problems, the next generation will need to use science to develop new technologies and techniques that can change things for the better." He has funded the new professorship through his gifts to the New York Community Trust, a charitable fund formed in 1914 to meet community needs. The Alena Wels Hirschorn '58 and Martin Hirschorn Professorship in Environmental and Applied Sciences is the 13th chair to be endowed at Barnard.
Pfirman is part of a tradition of science faculty who have prepared generations of Barnard women for careers in medicine, research, and public policy. Environmental science has been an integral part of Barnard's curriculum since 1949, when an academic program focusing on environmental conservation and management was established. "Our students like connecting science with societal concerns -- they like understanding the world around them and are interested in applying that understanding to solving real-world problems," Pfirman says.
Provost Elizabeth Boylan, an accomplished biologist in her own right, is especially pleased by the new Hirschorn Professorship. "I'm just thrilled that we are now able to signal to the world the very high regard we have for Professor Pfirman," she says. "The gift of this newly endowed chair allows us to recognize her exemplary record in scholarship, teaching, curriculum development, leadership and service, and brings luster to the department and the College. Barnard is doubly blessed -- with faculty members of the caliber and clout of Stephanie Pfirman and with knowledgeable and caring donors like Martin Hirschorn."
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