Interviewed by
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Interviewed by |
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Born |
January 6, 1935 |
Position |
Director, Institute of Ecosystem Studies |
| Biography |
B.S. from Manchester College (1957), M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin at Madison (1959, 1962). A member of the National Academy of Sciences, Likens was hired in 1983 by the New York Botanical Garden to found the Institute of Ecosystem Studies, which became a not-for-profit, independent institution in 1993 with Likens as director and president. He is an advisor at state, national, and international levels on the ecological effects of air pollution and acid rain, among other subjects. Likens holds faculty positions at Yale University (professor of ecology and evolutionary biology), Cornell University (adjunct professor of ecology and systematics), and Rutgers University (professor, ecology and evolution graduate program). |
| Research interests |
A cofounder of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study, Likens is engaged in multidisciplinary ecological studies of forest, stream, and lake ecosystems in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of 14 books and more than 400 scientific papers. |
How would you describe yourself?
Enthusiastic and hard working.
What first inspired you to go into your field?
I grew up on a small farm in the Midwest and was interested in animals from a very early age.
Why do you think you've advanced well in your career?
I've been able to see the unified, whole perspective of systems, rather than merely the parts. I've looked at the big questions by putting together all the pieces of the puzzle.
What do you enjoy about your work?
It's exciting, the challenges we face in assessing ecological systems and the role that they play on this planet. I have an ongoing interest in trying to develop enough knowledge so that we manage these systems more effectively toward the welfare of life on Earth.
What do you dislike about your research field?
I don't dislike anything, but my field is a challenge. My research is difficult and always complex, but I also find this makes my day more exciting because of the challenges I must confront.
p>Are there aspects you would change?Teaching could change a bit, we should better show kids the excitement and joy of doing science and learning things. We should also be teaching more broadly, rather than being tightly confined to one discipline. I think we're moving in this direction and improving.
What was your first scientific experiment?
Trying to understand how lakes function and experimenting with whole lake systems.
What were the results of your first experiment?
Good. They were exciting because I was tracing where things move in lakes with radioactive isotopes, and trying to understand the relationship of different components in lakes.
How did the experience increase your maturity as a scientist?
I became excited about learning things that were previously unknown. That excitement is what captured me; the discovery, the joy of science became alive for me.
What was your high school science teacher like?
I don't remember too much about the high school one, but my college teacher was very caring and the kind of person who saw raw talent and knew how to develop it.
Did that inspire you?
Yes. He was key to my growth.
What is your proudest achievement?
The opportunity to found and develop the current center that I run called the Institute of Ecosystem Studies. My discovery of acid rain in North America has also been very exciting.
What advice would you give a younger scientist?
It's important to observe nature and watch what nature is doing. So many great biologists have started this way.
In what areas do you think you need advice yourself?
To pursue many exciting, remaining questions relating to complex ecosystems, how they work, and how they change through time.
What would you be if not a scientist?
A teacher.
Why?
My father was a teacher.
Which scientist from history would you like to meet?
Do I have to pick one? I would really like to meet more than one. I would certainly like to meet Charles Darwin.
What would you ask him?
How he thought all of his discoveries would fit together at a higher level of organization, such as in an ecosystem.
Which living scientist do you most admire?
Again, it's hard to pick one. I don't think I'd want to pick just one. There are so many giants. Those in the past are so important, and we all stand on their shoulders.
What has been the greatest scientific discovery of this past century?
The theory of relativity.
Why that?
It is fundamental for understanding how the world and the universe work.
What will be the great discoveries of this century?
p>Who knows - my crystal ball isn't that clear.What research goals do scientists need to set themselves?
Focus on fundamental questions, have integrity, work hard, and have fun.
How has the Internet influenced what you do, other than in providing email?
It allows quick access to information, and I'm able to share data with colleagues quickly.
Daniel Edelstein, a science writer and naturalist, lives in Maryland on a lake at the edge of a forest 35 miles west of Washington, D.C.
Marvalee Wake Johnny Huard Gordon OriansRod DillonPhilip Cohen Timothy C. Thompson