Bernard Sweeney, Ph.D.

Distinguished Research Scientist

Entomology Group

Adjunct Professor of Biology, Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania

Contact

sweeney@stroudcenter.org
tel. 610-268-2153, ext. 300
970 Spencer Road, Avondale, PA 19311

Interests and Expertise

The role of water quality monitoring in conservation, population and community ecology of temperate and tropical aquatic invertebrates; pollution assessment in temperate and tropical streams using macroinvertebrates; the role of streamside forests in the structure and function of stream and river ecosystems; factors affecting the growth and survivorship of trees in riparian forests; the effects of global warming on stream ecosystems; genetic variation and gene flow among populations of stream insects; the effects of diel and seasonal temperature change on aquatic insect populations; evolution of facultative parthenogenesis in aquatic insects; bioenergetics and secondary production of aquatic insects; and the bioassay of toxic materials in aquatic systems.

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Education

• Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Population Biology/Zoology.
• B.S., Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture, Biology.

Professional Experience

• Distinguished Research Scientist, Stroud Water Research Center, December 2017–present.
• President, Distinguished Research Scientist, Stroud Water Research Center, 2017.
• President, Executive Director, Curator, Director, Stroud Water Research Center, 1999–2016.
• Vice President, Asociación Centro de Investigación Stroud, San José, Costa Rica, 1991–present.
• Curator, Executive Director, Stroud Water Research Center of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia; Vice-President, Curator, Environmental Group, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 1996–1999.
• Associate Curator, Executive Director, Stroud Water Research Center of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 1988–1996.
• Assistant Curator, Stroud Water Research Center of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 1978–1988.

Publications

The good, the bad and the lethal: gene expression and metabolomics reveal physiological mechanisms underlying chronic thermal effects in mayfly larvae (Neocloeon triangulifer)

Chou, H., W. Pathmasiri, J. Deese-Spruill, S.J. Sumner, D. Jima, D. Funk, J. Jackson, B. Sweeney, and D. Buchwalter. 2018. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 6:27.

Why adult mayflies of Cloeon dipterum (Ephemeroptera:Baetidae) become smaller as temperature warms

Sweeney, B.W., D.H. Funk, A.A. Camp, D.B. Buchwalter, and J.K. Jackson. 2018. Freshwater Science 37(1):64–81.

Physiological responses to short-term thermal stress in mayfly (Neocloeon triangulifer) larvae in relation to upper thermal limits

Kim, K.S., H. Chou, D.H. Funk, J.K. Jackson, B.W. Sweeney, and D.B. Buchwalter. 2017. Journal of Experimental Biology 220:2598–2605.

Macroinvertebrates of rivers and creeks along the interoceanic highway, Cusco and Puerto Maldonado, Perú

Sweeney, B. W., D.H. Funk, R. W. Flowers, T. Gonzales, and A. Huamantinco. 2017. Museum Guide No. 843, The Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois.

River conservation, restoration, and preservation: rewarding private behavior to enhance the commons

Sweeney, B.W., and J.G. Blaine. 2016. Freshwater Science 35:755–763.

See all publications by Stroud Center authors

Related Content

Press Releases

$1 Million Challenge Grant to Benefit the Bernard W. Sweeney, Ph.D., Executive Director’s Fund

Honoring Bern’s long career at the Stroud Center while ensuring the legacy of his dedication to global research, education, and watershed restoration ... Read More

News

Science Never Retires

Tom Bott, Bern Sweeney, Lou Kaplan and Denis Newbold are using their retirement in order to continue to pursue their passions in freshwater science ... Read More

News

The Restored Watershed: 50 Years of Solutions for Clean Fresh Water

For the last 50 years scientists at Stroud Water Research Center have demonstrated the connection between good land-use practices and clean fresh water, between healthy soil and healthy water ... Read More

News

Learning Leading to Action: Young Heroes Protecting Our Waterways

Students are not only learning how to protect our waterways; they are also conducting their own scientific research or restoring healthy streams — or sometimes both ... Read More

Press Releases

Volunteers Plant Nearly 1,000 Trees for National Volunteer Week

Stroud Water Research Center restored 2.75 acres along two swales that transport rain water into a major tributary of the Brandywine River, which eventually flows downstream to provide drinking water for the city of Wilmington ... Read More

News

Would You Drink the Water?

Stroud Water Research Center collaborated with senior students in the horticulture program at the Williamson College of the Trades on their 2018 Philadelphia Flower Show exhibit entitled “Would You Drink the Water?” ... Read More