Clockwise, from top left: Katie Hinde, The CLEO Institute, John Toohey-Morales, Kim Cobb, Vanderbilt University's Evolutionary Studies Initiative, and Randolph M. Nesse.
NCSE is pleased to announce the winners of the Friend of Darwin award for 2025: Vanderbilt University’s Evolutionary Studies Initiative, directed by evolutionary biologist Antonis Rokas; Katie Hinde, a biological anthropologist at Arizona State University and the founding director of March Mammal Madness; and Randolph M. Nesse of the University of Michigan and Arizona State University, a physician who is among the founders of the disciplines of evolutionary medicine and evolutionary psychiatry.
"The contributions to the public understanding of evolution from the new Friends of Darwin are spectacular," commented NCSE Executive Director Amanda L. Townley. "Randy Nesse's work confirms that understanding evolution is practically important, while March Mammal Madness inspires hundreds of thousands of people to explore the diversity of life through competitive brackets. And Vanderbilt University's Evolutionary Studies Initiative is a model of interdisciplinary focus on the importance of evolution in higher education."
NCSE is also pleased to announce the winners of the Friend of the Planet award for 2025: The CLEO Institute, a non-profit organization seeking to build climate literacy and mobilize climate action, directed by Yoca Arditi-Rocha; Kim Cobb, a climate scientist and gifted climate communicator at Brown University (formerly at Georgia Institute of Technology); and John Toohey-Morales, a Florida-based atmospheric and environmental scientist who was among the first broadcast meteorologists to emphasize climate change on the air.
"The new Friends of the Planet have tirelessly promoted the cause of climate change education, particularly in the southeast United States, where it is sorely needed," Townley explained. "John Morales especially through the medium of broadcast meteorology, in both English and Spanish; Kim Cobb especially through her research and engagement and outreach on climate change; and The CLEO Institute especially through its commitment to mobilize community members and educate teachers and students about the urgency of climate change."
The Friend of Darwin and Friend of the Planet awards are presented annually to a select few whose efforts to support NCSE and advance its goal of defending the teaching of evolution and climate science have been truly outstanding. Previous recipients of the Friend of Darwin award include Fred Edwords, Niles Eldredge, Tammy Kitzmiller, Mohammed Noor, and Carl Zimmer. Previous recipients of the Friend of the Planet Award include Kerry Emanuel, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, and Dawn J. Wright.
