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Sobczak recognized for work on California ecosystem
restoration project
William Sobczak, assistant professor of biology, recently
was awarded the prestigious Raymond L. Lindeman Award by
the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO).
The award, presented this summer at ASLO’s annual meeting
in Savannah, Ga., is given annually to a young scientist
under the age of 35, in recognition of the outstanding paper
in the aquatic sciences.
Sobczak’s paper, “Bioavailability of organic
matter in a highly disturbed estuary: The role of detrital
and algal resources,” was the central paper from his
postdoctoral research position at the U.S. Geological Survey
in Menlo Park, Calif. His work was funded by the CALFED San
Francisco Bay-Delta Ecosystem Restoration Program, one of
the largest restoration projects in the world.
Sobczak’s research specifically examined the importance
of algal and terrestrial food supplies in response to declining
zooplankton and fish populations in the San Joaquin River
Delta. His findings will aid the restoration’s program
managers in effectively improving the health of the Bay-Delta
system for its native species–which include salmon,
migratory waterfowl and a host of other plants and animals
of critical importance to California.
A member of the Holy Cross faculty since 2002, Sobczak has
been involved locally in a number of important ecology research
projects. His freshwater ecology course is one of the College’s
community-based learning courses, where students combine
classroom learning with fieldwork in the local community.
Through this course, Sobczak has supervised several student
projects on local freshwater ecosystems, including research
on the Blackstone River National Heritage Corridor and on
the impact of declines in the Eastern hemlock tree population
on local stream environments. This work helps scientists
and managers forecast future environmental change with regard
to how environmental perturbation can alter ecosystems on
a regional, national and international level.
Sobczak earned his Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology
from Cornell University and his master of science degree
in zoology from Michigan State University. He completed his
undergraduate training at Bucknell University, where he majored
in biology and English. Sobczak is the author of numerous
publications in leading academic journals, including Ecology,
Ecological Applications, Biogeochemistry, and Limnology
and Oceanography.
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