Honors and Awards

• Recipient of Richard Hopper Day Memorial medal from the Academy of Natural Sciences, 1969.
• Recipient of Gimbel Philadelphia Award, 1969.
• Recipient of YWCA's Gold Medal, 1970.
• Elected to National Academy of Sciences, May 1970.
• Recipient of Franklin Institute's Lewis L. Dollinger Pure Environment Award, 1970.
• Recipient of Pennsylvania Award for Excellence in Science and Technology, 1970.
• Recipient of Merit Award from the Botanical Society of America, 1971.
• Recipient of Eminent Ecologist Award from the Ecological Society of America, 1972.
• Recipient of 1973 Philadelphia Award.
• Elected to the American Philosophical Society, 1974.
• Recipient of Gold Medal Award from Pennsylvania State Fish and Game Protective Association, 1974.
• Recipient of Second Annual International John and Alice Tyler Ecology Award, 1975.
• Recipient of Gold Medal from the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, 1975.
• Recipient of Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement, 1975.
• Elected to Honorary Membership in South Carolina Academy of Sciences, 1975.
• Recipient of Department of Interior's Public Service Award, 1975.
• Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1976.
• Recipient of Iben Award of American Water Resources Association, 1976.
• Recipient of Outstanding Alumni Award from Coker College, 1977.
• Recipient of the Frances K. Hutchinson Medal from the Garden Club of America, 1977.
• Recipient of Honorary Membership in the Water Pollution Control Federation, 1977.
• Recipient of the Outstanding Alumna Award from Sunset Hill School, Kansas City, Missouri, 1977.
• Recipient of Golden Medal of the Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Belgium, 1978.
• Recipient of Green World Award of New York Botanical Garden, 1979.
• Recipient of Hugo Black Award of the University of Alabama, 1979.
• Recipient of Founders Award of Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 1982.
• Recipient of Citation of Merit from the City of Philadelphia, 1982.
• Recipient of Environmental Regeneration Award from the Rene DuBois Center for Human Environments, 1985.
• Recipient of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Governor's Award for Excellence in the Sciences, 1988.
• Recipient of Girl Scout Award, 1988.
• University of South Carolina - Aiken. Groundbreaking for the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center, 1989.
• Recipient of Distinguished Citizen Award, Pennsylvania Society, 1989.
• Recipient of James McGirr Kelly Award, from the National Association of Water Companies, 1990.
• Recipient of Outstanding Achievement Award of the North American Diatom Society.
• Recipient of the Award of Excellence, North American Benthological Society, 1992.
• Recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement, American Philosophical Society, 1993.
• Recipient of the Environment Award of the Association of Metropolitan Sewarage Agencies (AMSA), 1995.
• Inducted into South Carolina Hall of Science and Technology, 1996.
• Recipient of American Society of Limnology and Oceanography's Lifetime Achievement Award, 1996.
• Recipient of National Medal of Science from President Bill Clinton, 1996.
• Ruth Patrick-Meyers Branch Research Area and Ruth Patrick Pond dedicated on Savannah River Site, 1996.
• Recipient of Mendel Medal, Villanova's highest honor, 2002.
• Recipient of the Chairman's Medal from the Heinz Family Foundation, 2002.
• Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's Ralph W. Abele Conservation Heritage Award, 2006
• Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, 2009

Honorary Degrees

• D.Sc., Beaver College, 1970.
• D.Sc., PMC Colleges, 1971 (now Widener College).
• L.LD., Coker College, 1971.
• D.Sc., Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, 1973.
• D.Sc., Cedar Crest College, 1974.
• D.Sc., Wilkes College, 1974.
• L.H.D., Chestnut Hill College, 1974.
• D.Sc., Hood College, 1975.
• D.Sc., Medical College of Pennsylvania, 1975.
• D.Sc., Drexel University, 1975.
• D.Sc., Swarthmore College, 1975.
• D.Sc., University of New Haven, 1975.
• D.Sc., Bucknell University, 1976.
• D.Sc., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1976.
• D.Sc., St. Lawrence University, 1978.
• D.Sc., University of Massachusetts, 1980.
• D.Sc., Princeton University, 1980.
• D.Sc., Lehigh University, 1983.
• D.Sc., University of Pennsylvania, 1984.
• D.Sc., Temple University, 1985.
• D.Sc., Emery University, 1986.
• D.Sc., Wake Forest University, 1986.
• D.Sc., University of South Carolina, 1989.
• D.Sc., Clemson University, 1989.
• D.Sc., Glassboro College of New Jersey, 1992.

Environmental Research