University of Victoria biology student Jean Elisabeth Marcus is this year's winner of CAUT's J.H. Stewart Reid Memorial Fellowship.

Marcus obtained her MSc degree at the University of Victoria and is currently enrolled in its PhD program. She is studying the community ecology of deep-sea hydrothermal vents — hot water springs which support masses of invertebrate fauna.

The focus of her thesis is to quantitatively document community change at vents of Axial Seamount, a volcano lying at the top of Juan de Fuca Ridge in the Northeast Pacific. "This is critical information," says Marcus, whose data will show how vent species respond to habitat destruction and creation, "since mining companies are investigating the feasibility of harvesting precious metals and sulfides at vents."

Marcus has several publications and conference papers. She has also been distinguished by a number of scholarly awards and NSERC scholarships.

The J.H. Stewart Reid Memorial fellowship was established by CAUT through voluntary contributions by faculty associations and unions and individual faculty members from across the country to honour the memory of the first executive secretary of the association. The $5,000 fellowship is available to Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada who are working towards a doctoral degree at a Canadian university.