SPEAKER: Sam Lake, Emeritus Professor, Monash Univeristy, Melbourne, Australia
Co-sponsored by the School of Biology & Ecology
After receiving his PH.D from the University of Southampton, in 1967 Dr. Sam Lake was appointed to the Zoology Department of the University of Tasmania where his research focus was mainly on the impacts of heavy metals on stream biota along with being involved in the conservation of threatened ecosystems. He moved to Monash University in 1976 where he taught and researched till retirement in 2011.
For much of his academic career his research have focused on the structure of stream assemblages (mainly invertebrate), the impacts of disturbance (especially drought) and the restoration ecology of stream ecosystems. In his retirement he is still involved in stream and wetland restoration and in the future of Australia’s biodiversity. Over his career, he has published ~240 scientific papers and 7 books, including a book on the impacts of drought on freshwater ecosystems (2011). He has taught undergraduate courses in ecology, limnology, biodiversity and conservation and has supervised many Masters and PhD students.
For his efforts in ecology and conservation, he has been awarded Gold Medals from the Australian Society of Limnology and the Ecological Society of Australia, the Award of Excellence of the Society for Freshwater Science, the Naumann-Thienemann Medal of the International Society and the Order of Australia (AO).
