In October 2019, professor and senior lecturer of environmental science Peter Bower was bestowed the first Hal Tryon Stewardship Award at Barnard during the Black Rock Forest Consortium annual meeting. Located in the Hudson Highlands north of New York City, the Black Rock Forest is a center for environmental studies and research. Executive director of Black Rock Forest Dr. William Schuster presented Bower with the award, which commemorates his support of student research at Black Rock Forest since founding the environmental science department at Barnard.
Bower’s work both in and out of Barnard focuses on environmental conservation, sustainability, geology, and geochemistry. With his students, Bower leads immersive, hands-on experiences and sponsors select students’ independent research theses at Black Rock Forest.