IISD congratulates renowned environmental scientist David Schindler on a distinguished career

WINNIPEG—October 30, 2013—On the occasion of the retirement of Dr. David Schindler from the University of Alberta, IISD is pleased to join his many admirers in offering congratulations on a distinguished career.

Over the past 50 years, Dr. Schindler's research on the human impacts on freshwater ecosystems has produced major scientific breakthroughs that, in turn, have catalysed policy responses.His discovery in the late 1960s that phosphates were suffocating lakes was pivotal in banning their presence in detergents. His proof in the 1970s that acid rain was killing fish greatly influenced policy in the 1980s. More recently he has shown that contamination of the Athabasca River in Alberta is at least partially attributable to oilsands emissions.Perhaps his greatest achievement was his instrumental role in founding the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA), a unique whole-ecosystem research facility in northwestern Ontario.

"Dr. Schindler's excellence in research has made an enormous contribution to science just as his leadership in science has made an enduring contribution to society," said IISD President Scott Vaughan.

"His commitment to ensuring the integrity of the evidence base for policy-making has made the ELA the vital research facility that so many here and around the world recognize as indispensable and are dedicated to preserving," he said.

"The breadth of Dave's knowledge in aquatic science has always left me in awe," says Dr. Michael Paterson, a recognized authority on aquatic ecosystem ecology and a former Senior Scientist with the ELA. 

"He is also an excellent communicator and articulates clear, empirically based arguments that have resulted in important changes in the way we manage water and our natural resources. His shadow hangs large over ELA.  Everyone that worked there thinks of Dave as a kind of superman," he said.In celebrating the legacy of Dr. Schindler, the University of Alberta is hosting a symposium today and tomorrow (Wednesday and Thursday, October 30-31) entitled "Letting in the Light: Science to Guide Public Water Policy in the 21st Century."

It opens this evening with a presentation by Dr. David Suzuki: "The Global Ecological Crisis: Setting the Real Bottom Line," followed by a discussion with Dr. Schindler. Continuing tomorrow morning, Canada's leading ecologists will examine how science can guide growth.

For more information, explore the event link.

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