Dr. Bob Steneck Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

University of Maine press release

University of Maine professor emeritus Robert Steneck, who retired in 2023 after 41-year career at the University, was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 

Photo courtesy of the Boothbay Register.

Established just after the American Revolution by Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton and 60 others, the Academy honors excellence and convenes leaders from every field of human endeavor to examine new ideas and address issues of importance to the nation and the world. Steneck is among nearly 250 new members who will be inducted this October in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

“I was shocked when I learned I had been elected to the Academy of Arts and Sciences,” Steneck said. “I didn’t see this coming, but I think arts and sciences pair very well. We all live on the same planet. We see similar things but integrate our experiences in new ways that sometimes shines a new light where it belongs or opens someone’s mind to something new.” 

Steneck is the first University of Maine faculty researcher to join the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, whose luminaries include scientists Albert Einstein, Jonas Salk, E.O. Wilson and Barbara McClintock. 

“We congratulate Bob on this incredible, well-earned recognition and are thrilled that his transformative impact on marine science and conservation has been recognized by this prestigious organization,” said University President Joan Ferrini-Mundy.

“The honor is a testament to the lasting benefits of Bob’s legacy, which include changing our understanding of Maine’s most lucrative fishery, establishing a multidecadal relationship with our fishermen and coastal communities and helping preserve vital ecosystems across the Western hemisphere.” 

When Steneck joined the University in 1982, he was among the first marine ecologists to collaborate with Maine lobstermen on research specific to questions they had about the resources and then share his findings with them. Steneck’s research goal was to develop multiple indicators of the health of the lobster fishery. His work and that of his students and colleagues led to fundamental changes in how lobster fishery research is conducted in Maine. 

In 2011, Steneck and his colleagues published a paper called “Creation of a gilded trap by the high economic value of the Maine lobster fishery,” warning against relying solely on the lobster fishery to sustain Maine’s coastal communities. While the lobster fishery remains immensely profitable, during the past decade it has become more susceptible to economic disruptions, echoing some of the warnings in Steneck’s paper.

During his career Steneck has also conducted research on coral reefs world-wide, including the Great Barrier Reef, French Polynesia, Micronesia, but by far most of his research has been in the Caribbean. Since the 1980s, he and his students have traveled to coral reefs in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Mexico, Belize, Bonaire and the Dominican Republic. Their research has been used to devise management strategies to improve the resilience of coral reefs. Specifically, Steneck’s long-term research in Bonaire, located in the Dutch Caribbean near Venezuela, prompted regulations that helped its coral reefs bounce back after a sudden coral bleaching event.

In his retirement, Steneck continues to conduct marine science research. He is an editor for Sciences Advances, one of the journals published by the American Academy of Sciences, and is writing a textbook on coral reefs. He also serves on the Hurricane Island for Science and Leadership Board of Directors.