Bernard W. Sweeney

Member since: 2010

Proposed by: The West Chester Garden Club, Zone V

Former (retired 2018) Director, President, and Senior Research Scientist of the Stroud Water Research Center and adjunct professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Sweeney is a past-President of the Society of Freshwater Science (SFS), helped establish and currently Co-Chairs the SFS Taxonomic Certification Program, and also is a current member of the SFS Development Committee. He recently retired from 20+ years of service as associate editor of Freshwater Science. His research expertise includes the role of water quality in pollution assessment in temperate and tropical streams, the effects of temperature on the growth and development of aquatic macroinvertebrates (especially mayflies), Use of DNA barcoding for identifying macroinvertebrates, the role of riparian forests (and forest buffers) in the structure and function of stream and river ecosystems, and factors affecting the growth and survivorship of riparian trees. He contributed articles to many scientific journals including Science, Freshwater Science, Journal of the American Water Resources Association, Forest Ecology and Management, Ecology, Evolution, Limnology and oceanography, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and many others. Some of the awards that he received during his career included the Distinguished Service Award (Society of Freshwater Science), National Award of Excellence in Conservation (USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service), the Margaret Douglas Medal of Lifetime Achievement (Garden Club of America), Forest Champion Award (Alliance for the Chesapeake), and Conservation Individual of the Year (Berks County PA) for his contributions and service to science, conservation, and education.

Honorary Member since 2010.