CITATION OF MERIT
The Citation of Merit is awarded annually to an individual or team in recognition of outstanding feats of exploration or contributions to the welfare and objectives of the Club.
In 2024, Chief Scientists Javier Sellanes, Ph.D. and Erin E. Easton, Ph.D., with the Schmidt Ocean Institute, discovered over 150 new species among underwater mountains, or seamounts, which play an integral role in oceanic processes and connectivity. Led by Javier and Erin, an international team examined understudied southeast Pacific seamounts, where only a few summits have been studied previously. Many of the dives took place in the world’s third largest fully protected marine area, the Nazca-Desventuradas Marine Park, a park roughly the size of Italy. ROV dives assisted scientists to create a complete picture of seamount biodiversity from the bottom of the mountain to the top. All of the data collected will contribute to Chile’s effort to establish a high-seas marine protected area along the Nazca and Salas y Gómez ridges.
Erin E. Easton, Ph.D. is the Director of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Marine Ecosystems Institute, as well as an adjunct researcher for the Ecology and Sustainable Management of Oceanic Islands at the Universidad Católica del Norte. Her research focuses on the exploration of understudied oceanic regions and their benthic habitats.
Javier Sellanes, Ph.D. is a marine biology professor at Universidad Católica del Norte, and an Associate Researcher at the Center for Ecology and Sustainable Management of Oceanic Islands. His research mainly focuses on deep-sea benthic ecology and the taxonomy of mollusks.
The Explorers Club
Since 1914, The Explorers Club has recognized the world’s greatest explorers with exploration’s highest honors.
Greely, Amundsen, Nansen — Piccard, Armstrong, Heyerdahl — Goodall, Leakey, Hillary — Roosevelt, Sullivan, Walsh — the history of our Club is written in the legacy of the giants whom we celebrate.
The Explorers Club is proud to announce this newest class of awardees, formally honor their place in the history of human exploration, and celebrate them at our 121st Annual Dinner – April 26, 2025.
Read more about 2025 Awardees of The Explorers Club here.
Erin E. Easton has been serving as a dedicated Officer of the Deep-Sea Biology Society for multiple terms and just stepped down from the role of Membership and Data Protection – many thanks and congratulations, Erin!
