Sept. 10, 2009

Allen Burton, professor and chair of the Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences at Wright State University, has been named director of the Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystem Research (CILER) at the Universityof Michigan effective Aug. 1. Professor Burton will hold a simultaneous appointment as a professor in U-M's School of Natural Resources and Environment, which houses CILER.

"This is a great honor and I look forward to the challenge," said Professor Burton, who has been at the Dayton, Ohio-based university since 1985.

CILER is a center of excellence that serves as a focal point for collaborations between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) and researchers at universities across the Great Lakes region. The instituteí¢â‚¬â„¢s research mission is to improve the understanding of the fundamental physical, chemical, biological, ecological, social and economical processes operating in the Great Lakes region. CILER also promotes regional educational training opportunities through postdoctoral fellows positions and a student summer fellowship program.

"I'm thrilled to have a scholar of Dr. Burton's stature as part of our community," said Rosina M. Bierbaum, dean of U-M's School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE). The position has been filled on an interim basis by Ed Rutherford, an associate research scientist at SNRE.

Since its inception in 1989, CILER has supported more than 127 grants totaling more than $11.5 million. Its research falls under five themes: climate and large lake dynamics; coastal and near-shore processes; large lake ecosystem structure and function; remote sensing of large lakes and coastal ocean dynamics; and marine environmental engineering.

During the past 28 years, Professor Burton's research has focused on developing effective methods for identifying significant effects and stressors in aquatic systems where sediment and stormwater contamination is a concern. His ecosystem risk assessments have evaluated multiple levels of biological organization, from microbial to amphibian effects. He was active in the development and standardization of toxicity methods for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, American Society for Testing and Materials, Environment Canada and the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development.

He obtained a Ph.D. degree in environmental science from the University of Texas at Dallas in 1984. From 1980-85, he was a life scientist with the U.S. EPA. He was a postdoctoral fellow at NOAA's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado. Since then, he has had positions as a NATO Senior Research Fellow in Portugal, Visiting Senior Scientist in Italy and New Zealand, and the Brage Golding Distinguished Professor of Research.

Professor Burton serves on U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board committees, a National Research Council committee, is past president of the Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry, and has been on numerous national and international scientific committees, review panels, councils and editorial boards with more than 200 publications.