The Center for Limnology is a multi-disciplinary center within the College of Letters and Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The CFL facilities are comprised of two reseach stations: the Hasler Laboratory of Limnology on the UW-Madison campus, and the Trout Lake Research Station in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin.
The CFL strives to provide excellence in education, research, and service.
Over the last several years, state agencies and environmental nonprofit organizations have targeted dam removal as a way to quickly improve the health of aquatic ecosystems. Dams keep migratory fish from swimming upriver to spawn, block nutrients from flowing downstream, and change the entire hydrology of a watershed. From an ecosystem perspective, taking down a [...]
Large-river specialist fishes — from giant species like paddlefish and blue catfish, to tiny crystal darters and silver chub — are in danger, but researchers say there is greater hope to save them if major tributaries identified in a University of Wisconsin-Madison study become a focus of conservation efforts. The study says 60 out of [...]
Even “standing room only” wasn’t enough. As if the lively chatter, hearty laughter and spontaneous rounds of applause weren’t proof, the line of people snaking out the door of the Minocqua Brewing Company‘s Divano Lounge confirmed that interest was alive and thriving in Wisconsin’s Northwoods. No, it wasn’t a Packers playoff game. It was “Science on Tap.” The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center [...]
Invasive species are known for disturbing their new homes. Whether it’s the zebra mussels in the Great Lakes or garlic mustard in native woodlands, their rampant multiplication crowds out native species. But according to research just published in the journal Diversity and Distributions, that’s not yet happening as a fish called the round goby advances up [...]
Field season is, of course, where the best photo ops and a lot of the fun of being a research scientist happens. Then there’s the arduous task of combing through specimens, which is how professor Peter McIntyre in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Limnology and Ellen Hamann, the manager of the McIntyre lab, have spent this [...]
As the federal government builds on its $1 billion investment to clean up and restore the Great Lakes, an international research consortium has developed innovative new maps of both environmental threats and benefits to help guide cost-effective approaches to environmental remediation of the world’s largest fresh water resource. Writing this week (Dec. 17, 2012) in [...]
Monumental discoveries were made. Critical projects were finished. Laudable programs were celebrated. And scholars and alumni were remembered in the College of Letters & Science’s 124th year.
These were just some of the markers of 2012 in L&S. Here are some of the moments that made 2012 a memorable year for the College.
The question is simple: Can a lake be cleansed of a pernicious invader by simply raising the water temperature? The answer so far: maybe, maybe not. In an experiment playing out on a small lake in northern Wisconsin, scientists from UW-Madison are deploying a novel lake-mixing technology to alter the lake’s temperature profile and see [...]
A University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher says states should be looking to the skies in order to save fish. Brenda Pracheil, a postdoctoral fellow at the UW-Madison Center for Limnology, thinks it’s time for fish to garner the same protection afforded migratory birds. Migratory birds are protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, [...]
Michael Cardiff joins the Department of Geoscience as an assistant professor after two years at Boise State University, where he worked as a postdoctoral researcher and assistant research professor. He is a hydrogeologist, meaning he studies the distribution and movement of groundwater and how contamination can move in aquifers. Cardiff completed his Master of Science [...]
Today we remember former University of Wisconsin-Madison professor, president and College of Letters & Science dean Edward Asahel Birge (September 7, 1851 – June 9, 1950). Birge joined the UW-Madison faculty in 1875 as an instructor in natural history. He was also a pioneer educator in the study of limnology. Birge served as acting president [...]
The Crystal Lake Mixing Project aims to eradicate rainbow smelt, a “nasty” invasive species.
Arthur Hasler was a world renowned limnologist, who enjoyed a 41-year career as a member of the University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty. Born in Lehi, Utah, on January 5, 1908, Hasler graduated from Brigham Young University in 1932, and earned a Ph.D. in Zoology from UW-Madison in 1937. He then joined the UW-Madison faculty as an [...]
If you head down to the shore of Lake Mendota, you’ll notice you can see right down to the bottom. In fact, the current Secchi reading is seven meters, meaning you can get a clear view of Lake Mendota’s depths more than 20 feet down. At first glance, it might seem that there’s just not much [...]
The College of Letters & Science is proud to announce that seven L&S faculty members received 2012 Distinguished Teaching Awards presented by the Wisconsin Alumni Association and the Secretary of the Faculty. The 2012 Recipients of the Distinguished Teaching Awards in the College of Letters & Science are: Jeffrey Beneker, associate professor of classics, Kiekhofer [...]
At a world-class research institution, out-of-the-classroom experiences play a huge role in students’ lives. As part of the Wisconsin Experience, 88 percent of students participate in extracurricular activities that bolster their education.
In research, that often means traveling to the source itself. Even if it’s in Georgia. And even if you’re a graduate student.
Eleven distinguished faculty members have received named professorships, some of the highest honors for established faculty. L&S is proud to count eight of the faculty members in the L&S community: Susan Coppersmith, Steven Durlauf, Gregg Mitman and Karen Strier have been named Vilas Professors Stephen Carpenter, Steve J. Stern, Dan Hausman were named Hilldale Professors. [...]
Peter McIntyre, an assistant professor of zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has won an $850,000, five-year Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
In the News: Know Your Madisonian – Limnology Takes Stephen Carpenter from Madison’s lakes to Sweden (Wisconsin State Journal) Featuring Stephen Carpenter from Center for Limnology.
Happy Birthday Edward Asahel Birge! Birge was born September 7th in Troy, New York 160 years ago. We remember Birge as a much beloved Zoology professor, pioneer Limnologist, and respected Dean and university administrator in the College of Letters & Science.
The Great Lakes Fishery Commission last week presented Dr. James Kitchell, a Professor of Zoology at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, with the 2011 Jack Christie/Ken Loftus Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions toward Understanding Healthy Great Lakes Ecosystems.
Researchers eavesdropping on complex signals emanating from a remote Wisconsin lake have detected what they say is an unmistakable warning — a death knell — of the impending collapse of the lake’s aquatic ecosystem.
In the popular imagination, the thought processes of artists and scientists could hardly be more distinct. And yet a year-long collaboration of lake scientists and artists from northern Wisconsin has engaged both sides of the “divide” in understanding and communicating the changing ecology in one of the world’s densest group of lakes — in the northern highlands of Wisconsin.
Noted University of Wisconsin-Madison limnologist Stephen Carpenter has been awarded the 2011 Stockholm Water Prize, the world’s most prestigious award for water-related activities, it was announced in Stockholm, Sweden today (Tuesday, March 22).
Professors Jake Vander Zanden (Zoology & Limnology) and Jack Williams (Geography) are among 20 mid-career academic environmental scientists named 2011 Leopold Leadership Fellows by Stanford University.
The Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI), a project of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), released its first comprehensive report, Wisconsin’s Changing Climate: Impacts and Adaptation.
Know Your Madisonian: UW limnologist is a strong voice on climate change (Wisconsin State Journal, Dec. 8, 2010) Featuring Emeritus Professor John Magnuson.
The College of Letters & Science is pleased to announce the following individuals received a 2010-2011 College of Letters & Science Classified Staff Excellence Award. David Harring, Center for Limnology Kristi Heming, Department of Chemistry Christy Horstmeyer, Department of Philosophy Angela Powell, Languages and Cultures of Asia Vicki Sekel, Social Science Research Services Congratulations to [...]
Pursuers of Alien Invaders Eat Their Fill of What They Kill (Wall Street Journal) Limnology Professors Jake Vander Zanden and Steve Carpenter were recently featured for their work with the invasive rusty crayfish in Northern Wisconsin. There is a way to deal with these critters… eat them!
Assistant Professor Pete McIntyre — a new faculty member in the Center for Limnology and Department of Zoology — co-lead a study of global threats to rivers that was published in the Sept. 30th issue of Nature. McIntyre’s study was widely reported on state, national and international markets. In total, the paper was cited on more than 240 websites and on major broadcast media.
Limnology Professor Pete McIntyre is on the latest episode of “Office Hours” discussing the state of our rivers and lakes. Watch the full episode as seen on the Big Ten Network. University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor of Political Science Ken Goldstein welcomes the University’s leading faculty members to discuss their interests and research and debate current [...]
Tim Kratz, Director of the Trout Lake Station, has accepted a position as a rotating Program Officer in the Ecosystems Science Cluster at the National Science Foundation. His 1-2 year term starts in mid-November. “I’m looking forward to serving the ecological community and helping to shape the future of ecosystem science, while at the same [...]
The world’s rivers, the single largest renewable water resource for humans and a crucible of aquatic biodiversity, are in a crisis of ominous proportions, according to a new global analysis. The report, published in the journal Nature, is the first to simultaneously account for the effects of such things as pollution, dam building, agricultural runoff, [...]
Testing Mother Earth’s Resilience (Science) L&S alumna Reinette (Oonsie) Biggs (PhD’ 08, Engineering and Limnology), was recently featured in Science’s Career Profile: During her two-and-a-half years at the University of Wisconsin, Biggs worked under the mentorship of Limnology Professor Stephen Carpenter Biggs now has a post doc appointment at the Stockholm Resilience Centre.
Jim Kitchell, the Arthur Hasler Professor of Zoology, recently retired. Kitchell has been a longtime figure on the UW-Madison campus, serving as faculty member in the Department of Zoology and the former Director of the Center for Limnology. His primary area of research was on predator-prey interactions and their role in food web structure. His [...]
Continuing the annual tradition, a team of L&S professors, instructors and staff helped a new class of Badgers graduate from Grandparents University (GPU). GPU is a two day workshop for UW-Madison alumni and their grandchildren to sign up for majors and take classes on campus.
Two young researchers currently working in the lab of Professor Jake Vander Zanden at the Center for Limnology received awards at the 2010 International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) Conference held in Toronto.
Science in the Northwoods 2010 (SitN) will be held at Camp Manito-wish in Boulder Junction, WI, September 29-October 1, 2010.
Jim Kitchell, Arthur Hasler Professor of Zoology, has been named the 2010 winner of the A.C. Redfield Award from the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography.
Professor Steve Carpenter, director of the Center for Limnology, recently participated in a National Science Foundation symposium onEcosystem Services in a Changing World on March 4, 2010.
Researchers at the Center for Limnology, led by Professor Jake Vander Zanden, recently developed and launched a new web site that allows lake managers and citizens to determine which lakes are vulnerable to aquatic invasive species.
Marit Sallstrom, a UW-Madison graduate student working with UW limnologist Jake Vander Zanden, led two workshops on the ‘Smart Prevention of Aquatic Invasive Species’…
UW Zoology professor and limnologist Jake Vander Zanden was recently featured in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “15,000 reasons to worry about the Great Lakes.”
The Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) met in Madison October 7-11th, 2009 for a series of events, many hosted by UW-Madison researcher.
On September 11, a routine Lake Mendota field trip for a UW Limnology course turned out to be anything but routine.
Steve Carpenter, the Stephen Alfred Forbes Professor of Zoology and Director of theCenter for Limnology, was featured in the Wisconsin Ideas series.
Steve Carpenter and his team of researchers look to Wisconsin lakes to help us understand…
Jim Kitchell, director of the Center for Limnology and a professor in the Department of Zoology, was recently awarded a National Science Foundation Rapid Response Research (RAPID) grant.
Center for Limnology scientists Tim Kratz and Paul Hanson were recent guests on WUWM radio where they discussed the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network or GLEON.
Associate Professor Jake Vander Zanden gave the prestigious J.C. Stevenson Memorial Lecture at the Canadian Conference for Fisheries Research in January 2009.
The National Science Foundation awarded a $6.7 million grant to The Center for Limnology and primary investigator Steve Carpenter to continue its North Temperate Lakes Long-Term Ecological Research program (NTL-LTER).
