Let's Do Lunch!

Join the UW-Eau Claire Alumni Association for this monthly noon-hour speaker series. Enjoy a luncheon buffet, an informative presentation and engaging discussion with UW-Eau Claire experts.

Reservations are requested for "Let's Do Lunch!" sessions, which are open to the public. The ticket price of $10 per session includes the presentation, Fanny Hill buffet, beverage, tax and tip. To make reservations, call 715-836-3266 or email alumni@uwec.edu.

What happens when a natural stream is driven to its “tipping point” by human activity

Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Noon-1 p.m.

Fanny Hill Restaurant
3919 Crescent Ave., Eau Claire

An ecological threshold is a condition beyond which there is an abrupt change in a property of a natural system. Rather than responding to environmental change in a smooth way, ecosystems may respond with sudden, discontinuous shifts to alternative states. Dr. Todd Wellnitz, associate professor of biology, will discuss what happens when aquatic systems such as lakes and streams reach their "tipping point" and what results when we try to bring them back to their original state.

Join us for a delicious lunch and a lively discussion that will explore threats to ecological sustainability of streams and their associated communities.

About the presenter

Dr. Todd Wellnitz, who joined UW-Eau Claire's faculty in the fall of 2005, earned a doctorate from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in 1997. He teaches courses in ecology and evolution, aquatic ecology and invertebrate zoology. Wellnitz received a prestigious Career Grant from the National Science Foundation in 2007 for his commitment to scholarship and education.

To discuss Dr. Todd Wellnitz's presentation, contact him at 715-836-3021 or wellnita@uwec.edu.

Upcoming Let's Do Lunch presentations

We'll be taking a break for the summer.

Please check back in the fall.