Outstanding Alumni - 2006
Dr. David Czarnecki
Bemidji State University Graduate 1969 & 1973
Dr. David Czarnecki earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Biology from BSU in 1969. He went on to earn a Masters of Arts degree in Biology at BSU and a Ph.D. from Northern Arizona University. Upon graduation from Arizona, Dave accepted a position in the Botany Department at the University of Minnesota and the U of M Biological Field Station within Itasca State Park. In 1984, he moved to Loras College in Dubuque, IA, where he accepted a position in the Biology Department as a botanist focusing his attention on algal research, botany and field experiences in botany. He was a visiting professor at Iowa Lakeside Labs in Okaboji, IA, and at the U of M Biological Field Station within Itasca State Park for about 20 years. While at Loras, Dave also held a dual position as curator of the Fresh Water Diatom Collection, which contains over 1,500 cultures and is the largest repository for the genomes of living diatoms in the world. Dave started the collection early in his career and later housed it at Loras College. The collection is used as an international source for research ranging from space shuttle experiments to disease research. Dave?s primary research focus throughout his career has been algae, specifically diatoms. Dave?s research has been published in over 30 scientific journals. In recent years, his research brought him back to Lake Bemidji, where he discovered the presence of ?algae balls,? a rare and unusual congregation of algae, found in only three places in the world. Dave also did much research and writing on Iowa?s abandoned strip mine reclamation project, in an attempt to reverse or reclaim errors made by humans. Dave was nominated for membership in the scholastic fraternities Sigma Xi and Delta Epsilon Sigma. He received a Friend of Science Award from the Iowa Academy of Science in 1998, and the Museum of Northern Arizona Botany Fellowship in 1974-75. Dave made numerous presentations in his community and state on environmental topics, and served on the City of Dubuque Environmental Stewardship Commission. Dave and his wife, Phyllis, have three daughters, Cara, Merri and Ann.