The Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper Association annually awards a $500 scholarship award in memory of Waterkeeper member and water activist Dr. Robert Brundage.
Betsy Bodamer Scarboro, a PhD student at The University of Toledo Lake Erie Center, will receive the 2011 scholarship at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, at the center, 6200 Bayshore Road, Oregon.
The event, which is open to the public, also will include a lecture by Dr. Julie Wolin, associate professor in the Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Science at Cleveland State University. She will discuss “From Burning River to Blooming River: Habitat Restoration in the Lower Cuyahoga.”
Brundage, or “Dr. Bob” as he was often called, was a native of Toledo and received his bachelor’s degree from UT. He earned his doctorate from Brandeis University.
Brundage, who died in 2009 as a result of injuries he sustained during a robbery while riding his bike, was a research scientist, accomplished musician, and advocate for social justice, education and the environment. He was committed to water quality in Lake Erie, especially the Maumee watershed, and served on the board of the Lake Erie Waterkeeper.
The scholarship, which honor’s his global thinking and local action, is annually awarded to a graduate student at The University of Toledo Lake Erie Center. This year’s recipient, Bodamer Scarboro, is a biology and ecology doctoral student who is conducting research on the physiological and behavioral effects of hypoxia on Lake Erie yellow perch. Her research combines two key Lake Erie issues the Waterkeeper program is working on — nutrients/algae and fish populations in Lake Erie.
