FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 4, 2009
Media Advisory
Dr. David B. Arscott of the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research of New Zealand Joins the Stroud Water Research Center as its Assistant Director
Avondale, Pa. – Stroud Water Research Center is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. David B. Arscott as its assistant director. A freshwater ecologist, Arscott brings to the Center a breadth of expertise in the fields of aquatic macroinvertebrates, ecohydrology, biosecurity (invasive species) and water allocation issues.
The new position is yet another illustration of the Stroud Water Research Center’s growth. Last year the Center expanded its scientific disciplines to include fish molecular ecology, and it continues to pursue its freshwater research and education programs within the United States and beyond its borders.
Arscott, a former Stroud Water Research Center employee once responsible for managing Phase II of the Center’s 6-year New York City watershed project, also has extensive international experience, including stints in Europe, New Zealand, Antarctica, and the Alaskan arctic. In this role, Arscott will assist the Center’s director, Bernard W. Sweeney, Ph.D., in the operational duties of running the research and outreach programs, while continuing to conduct his own research.
Arscott’s primary research interest lies in understanding the ecological impact on river corridors caused by human-induced changes to the hydrological cycle, an area of study he will pursue at the Center. He also intends to further his field studies on the ecology and biogeochemistry of meltwater ponds of the McMurdo Ice Shelf in Antarctica in an effort to quantify carbon dynamics during the freezing cycle, and to study the effects of the invasive algae, Didymosphenia geminata, which has recently turned up in rivers in Virginia, Connecticut and New York and has potential to severely alter ecosystems.
“Dave brings the perfect combination of skills to this new role,” said Bernard W. Sweeney, director of the Stroud Water Research Center. “He is a proven scientist and a great team player. We’re delighted to have him back.”
“It’s a privilege to work with my former colleagues again — and to help the Center continue to expand both its freshwater research and education programs,” said Dave Arscott, assistant director of the Stroud Water Research Center.
Arscott received his Ph.D. from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, and a M.Sc. from the University of New Hampshire. He was previously a freshwater scientist at the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in Christchurch, New Zealand.
