Prof. Sarah H. Ledford, assistant professor of geosciences at Georgia State University, embodies the values of the Sulzman Award through her significant contributions as a role model and mentor for the next generation of biogeochemists. She has made significant contributions to diversity and equity in geosciences, particularly in taking concrete steps to remove barriers for students from underrepresented groups to pursue graduate school in geosciences. Her research seeks to establish a new paradigm to account for complex interactions between infrastructure and natural processes, and the influence of spatial and temporal scales, on urban hydrology and nutrient processing. Her lab’s research integrates environmental justice and urban water quality, in collaboration with community partners and public health researchers. Dr. Ledford’s efforts to increase equity in graduate admissions are rooted in a desire to move toward holistic evaluations for graduate admissions. As one piece of this, she created an online database to compile U.S.-based geology and geography programs that had dropped the Graduate Record Examination requirement, both as a resource for potential students and to increase pressure for programs to continue to drop the requirement. She has been a focal point in the #GeoGRExit movement for the past 3 years. Since 2019, 121 U.S. academic geoscience departments have permanently dropped the GRE requirement. Along with efforts to shift graduate admissions, Dr. Ledford incorporates centering students as individuals in her teaching approach. In her classes, Dr. Ledford empowers her students to apply the ideas learned in the classroom to places and topics that resonate with them, directly building on their cultural background and personal experiences and resulting in a stronger connection and understanding of the material. In her 4 years at Georgia State, she has mentored two undergraduates and 15 master’s students through research projects. She also has worked as a leader in the broader hydrology and biogeochemistry community to improve equity and justice over the past 2 years as a member of the board of directors of CUAHSI (Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc). Last, Dr. Ledford has worked directly with multiple community groups, bringing her expertise and that of her students to work alongside community members. She and colleagues have organized dozens of volunteers to collect and analyze water samples from urban streams, drawing the attention of municipal agencies to mitigate the harms of sewage contamination. —Jennifer B. Glass, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta

I want to start by thanking the amazing mentors, colleagues, friends, and family who have supported and challenged me through my career so far. I want to thank my letter writers and especially Dr. Jennifer Glass for nominating me for this award; the AGU Biogeosciences section; and my Ph.D. adviser, Dr. Laura Lautz, and my postdoctoral adviser, Dr. Laura Toran, for their endless support. This award is special to me because when I look at the list of past winners, I think, “These are the scientists I want to emulate.” They are examples of scientists who value people as people first and fight to promote justice and equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and academics, along with being wonderful researchers. To be seen in that light, to me, means I am following the correct path. I started the #GeoGRExit database because I wanted to fight for the students I was already working with, whose skills as growing scientists were not reflected in a score on a test. So I also want to thank my students for being so amazing to work with—I am so lucky to learn and grow with them. Leveraging a terrible global pandemic into trying something new for graduate admissions, that is, dropping the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) requirement, was unfortunate luck. I hope the geoscience community continues to listen to the research that shows that our inequitable methods go beyond the GRE and moves to make graduate admission processes more equitable. Finally, I want to thank the watershed advocacy groups in Atlanta with whom I have been lucky enough to work and with whom I look forward to continuing to build accountable partnerships. I hope the data we collect together can lead to lasting improvements in water quality and quality of life in these watersheds. Learning about the life and legacy of Dr. Elizabeth Sulzman, I dedicate this award to continuing to fight to improve the world in light of the many epidemics we face, including structural racism, mental health disease, and gun violence. —Sarah H. Ledford, Georgia State University, Atlanta