Two Cornell students have received 2006 awards from the Teresa Heinz Scholars for Environmental Research program, Cornell's Center for the Environment announced. They are: Jason Andras, a doctoral student in ecology and evolutionary biology, and Hannah Shayler, a master's degree student in natural resources.

As a doctoral student, Andras will receive $10,000 to fund his research on the effects of climate warming on the health and physiology of reef corals.

Shayler, who will receive $5,000 as a master's student, is working on strategies for community outreach in the area of mercury contamination.

The Teresa Heinz Scholars for Environmental Research program seeks to enrich the public's understanding of emerging environmental issues and to provide effective solutions for environmental problems. It is designed to support doctoral dissertations and master's theses for research on emerging environmental issues. Research must have public-policy relevance that increases society's understanding of environmental problems and their solutions.

Proposals for the Teresa and H. John Heinz III Foundation grants were submitted through the Cornell Center for the Environment and were selected by a review committee of scientists and environmentalists for their potential to address the world's most pressing environmental challenges.