| 1 | Name: | Dr. Gene E. Likens | |
| Institution: | Institute of Ecosystem Studies | ||
| Year Elected: | 2006 | ||
| Class: | 2. Biological Sciences | ||
| Subdivision: | 205. Microbiology | ||
| Residency: | Resident | ||
| Living? : | Living | ||
| Birth Date: | 1935 | ||
Gene Likens' work established some of the key concepts, methods, and findings of ecosystem ecology. He founded the Institute for Ecosystem Studies in 1983 and led it through 2007, serving as Director, President and G. Evelyn Hutchinson Chair in Ecology. Dr. Likens' research focuses on the biogeochemistry of forest and aquatic ecosystems. His long-term studies at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, which he co-founded in 1963, have shed light on critical links between ecosystem functions and land use practices. He and his colleagues were the first scientists to document the link between the fossil fuel combustion and an increase in the acidity of precipitation in North America. His findings have influenced policy makers, motivated scientific studies, and increased public awareness of Human-Accelerated Environmental Change. Winner of the 2001 National Medal of Science, Dr. Likens is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences (1979) and the National Academy of Sciences (1981). He has been awarded the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Ecology and Conservation Biology and the Franklin Institute's 2019 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Earth and Environmental Science. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1962. | |||