Decades of Research, Service Earn DU Scientist the Western PA Environmental Award

Ed Schroth, whose hands-on field-and-stream ways have influenced environmental activities in the region for the past 53 years, will be honored by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council this month.

Schroth, an adjunct instructor of biology and a leader in community-engaged learning, was selected for this recognition based upon his leadership, effectiveness and impact engaging students with the environment.

A believer in providing students with access to field work that contributes to a better neighborhood and enriches the world, Schroth has shared his passion for biology, water ecology and environmental science with students first in the Quaker Valley School District and, since 1999, at Duquesne. His students have gained first-hand experience in data collection and measurements while involved in civic work with the Allegheny Land Trust, Little Sewickley Creek Watershed, the Ballpark Urban Farm and other groups.

Schroth’s coordination of four Duquesne and three high school student trips to China illustrates his global views and commitment to causes that impact the entire planet.

“Ed Schroth has done an amazing job at getting students excited about the environment,” said Dr. John Stolz, director of the Center for Environmental Research and Education. “He is the consummate teacher.”

But Schroth contends that his curious students have become his teachers. “Teaching is actually learning to walk through life with people who are searching, discovering, exploring and have a deep desire to figure out how they’ve been created for this world,” he said. “Whether we are 18 or 80, we are, indeed, never too old to learn by working in synergy with others.”

Schroth will accept the award from the Pennsylvania Environmental Council on Thursday, May 26, at the Western Pennsylvania Environmental Awards Dinner and Ceremony in Pittsburgh.