FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 11, 2010
MEDIA ADVISORY
Dr. Bernard W. Sweeney of the Stroud Water Research Center Receives Distinguished Service Award at NABS
AVONDALE, PA – The North American Benthological Society (NABS), an international scientific organization whose purpose is to promote further understanding of aquatic ecosystems and foster exchange of scientific information among its membership and professional societies, resource managers, policy makers, educators, and the public, awarded Dr. Bernard W. Sweeney, Director of the Stroud Water Research Center, with its Distinguished Service Award at its Annual Meeting in Santa Fe, NM today. Sweeney, who served as president of NABS from 2001-2002, has been Chairman of the Society’s Taxonomic Certification Committee since 2004 and a member of the NABS Editorial Board since 2003, was nominated by his peers for the honor.
In May, Sweeney was also appointed to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board as a Member of the Advisory Panel on Ecological Impacts Associated with Mountaintop Mining and Valley-Fills. Sweeney is frequently called upon to provide independent, expert scientific testimony in environmental matters related to fresh water, and as such is also a member of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Flood Protection Committee.
On May 15th, The Garden Club of America bestowed upon Sweeney Honorary Membership at its Annual Meeting in Brunswick, New Jersey; for his achievements in conservation education, the Club previously awarded him the 2006 Margaret Douglas National Medal.
Sweeney’s honors also include a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Chesapeake Bay Foundation in 2006, and for his research and work on the restoration of streams and their riparian corridors, the 2003 National Award of Excellence in Conservation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service.
In addition to his duties as Director of the Stroud Water Research Center, Sweeney co-leads the Freshwater Bio-Surveillance Group for the International Barcode of Life Project, is a Member of the Environmental Advisory Committee for the Brandywine Conservancy, President of Board of Directors of the Georgia Farm Foundation, and an Adjunct Professor of the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Biology and The School of Veterinary Medicine.
