In 2016 was one of six finalist for the Indianapolis Prize. a zoo/conservation prize given every 2 years by the Indianapolis Zoo. 2009, Dee Boersma was honored as a 15th annual Heinz Award recipient for her extensive field studies on penguins and other sea birds, research that has led to a greater understanding of the human impact on marine ecosystems and for advocating conservation through education. She is founder and executive editor of Conservation magazine for 15 years – an award winning publication dedicated to conservation science. She is the Co-Chair of the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Penguin Specialist Group and is Director of the Center for Ecosystem Sentinels at the University of Washington where she teaches conservation, ecology, and science communication courses. Dr. Boersma uses penguins as marine sentinels, sounding the alarm on environmental threats to ocean ecosystems. Her research in Argentina has shown that in the last decade, climate-induced change has forced the penguins to swim about 25 miles farther each day in search of food. She and her students provided the data that working with the Wildlife Conservation Society resulted in oil tanker routes being moved farther offshore to protect the penguins from the effects of commercial petroleum dumping. In 2016 working with the Global Penguin Society two new marine reserves were established in Chubut that she hopes will benefit the declining penguin population at Punta Tombo, Argentina. Dr. Boersma, Wadsworth Endowed Chair in Conservation Studies at the University of Washington in Seattle, began her scientific career in the Galapagos Islands, where her dissertation research demonstrated how radical changes in ocean productivity, caused by the 1972 El Niño event, dramatically shaped the breeding biology of the Galapagos penguin. Working closely with the Galapagos National Park she is building nest sites to increase the population. As the impact of global climate change on biodiversity continues to unfold, Dr. Boersma’s research indicates that penguins and many sentinel species are at great risk. In the Western Antarctic peninsula, the warming air temperatures, which have risen six degrees over the past 50 years, have led to more rain and less snow. This seemingly subtle change endangers the newborn and very young chicks that have not developed the insulating plumage that would normally keep them dry. From a scientific perspective, she has employed studies of seabirds to improve our understanding of climate-change impact on the environment. Moreover, she has shared her passion and understanding of penguins to attract public attention to environmental issues.