http://www.wiu.edu/news
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 16, 2000
"THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER: HEART OF THE HEARTLAND"
TOPIC OF MARCH 29 WIU FACULTY LECTURE
MACOMB, IL -- Throughout the ages there have been countless stories and songs about the Mighty Mississippi, the largest river in North America. Both life-sustaining and life-taking, the Mississippi River is a habitat for hundreds of fish and mammal species as well as a vital economic resource for the nation.
One of the river's premier researchers, Western Illinois University biology professor Richard V. Anderson, will present "The Mississippi River: Heart of the Heartland" for the University's 2000 Distinguished Faculty Lecture. The lecture, open free to the public, will begin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 29, in the WIU Union Grand Ballroom.
"The Mississippi River is a true treasure in the center of North America," said Anderson, who will focus his presentation on the dramatic changes which have occurred in the upper Mississippi River in the past century.
"The riverine landscape has changed from a wooded flood plain with a meandering river to an agricultural and industrial complex with a river extensively modified for commercial navigation," Anderson said. "Still, natural riverine processes retain some control and the river remains a productive habitat with diverse flora and fauna."
Since 1987, Anderson has directed Western's Alice L. Kibbe Life Science Station, located on the Mississippi River near Warsaw, across from Lock and Dam 19 in Keokuk, IA. The permanent field installation, a 215-acre site established in 1964, is designed and operated to offer opportunities for special study to qualified scientists and persons interested in all branches of science. The University also operates the station as a nature preserve to protect the unique natural features from unnecessary human disturbance. The Nature Conservancy owns 734 acres adjacent to the station to provide a sanctuary for wintering populations of eagles, and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources owns a 206-acre nature preserve and flood plain forest in the immediate vicinity of the station.
Anderson joined the WIU biology teaching staff in 1979, after earning his bachelor's (1974) and master's (1975) degrees at Northern Illinois University and his doctorate (1978) at Colorado State University. His areas of specialization include stream ecology and an emphasis on large river ecosystems; aquatic and invertebrate biology with an emphasis on community composition; and production and the effects of invertebrates on nutrient cycling.
The majority of Anderson's professional research and work has involved the Mississippi River and its tributaries. He has published more than 70 research papers and 30 technical reports; and given more than 160 presentations; and supervised more than 35 graduate student theses and 17 undergraduate honors theses.
In 1998 Anderson received the Friend of the River award from the Upper Mississippi River Research Consortium. He is the current executive board president of the LaCrosse, WI-based consortium, and he has served as a proposal and manuscript reviewer for national and international foundations and journals. Anderson has earned 10 WIU Presidential Merit/Faculty Excellence awards, a University Faculty Research award (1988), the College of Arts and Sciences Research award (1985) and was named the Sigma Xi Researcher of the Year (1984).
WIU first presented an annual faculty lecturer award in 1969 to honor an outstanding faculty member whose professional development in research or creative activity, teaching and service to the University represent the highest standards of the academic community. In 1998 the award was renamed the Distinguished Faculty Lecturer.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: A print quality photograph of Richard Anderson is available on the WIU web site at http://www.wiu.edu/news/31600a.shtml. Anderson can be available to talk to media Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons on the WIU campus. If you wish assistance in setting up an interview, please contact WIU University Relations, 309-298-1993.)
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