Heiko L. Schoenfuss
Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory director and biology professor Heiko L. Schoenfuss is the 2018 winner of the Hellervik Prize.
The annual award recognizes a faculty member for research or scholarly activity on issues of importance to students, college/school, university and society.
Schoenfuss earned $9,500 and release from one class.
A 17-year employee, Schoenfuss has earned national attention for documenting how exposure to contaminants is affecting fish.
Among the contaminants he and colleagues have studied are pharmaceuticals that are sometimes flushed down toilets, including anti-depressants and hormone-therapy medications.
He has also co-authored studies of antibacterial agents found in wastewater treatment effluent and pesticides transported with runoff into rivers and lakes.
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Among the effects noted are demasculinization and reduced competence of male fish, and reduced predator avoidance performance in juvenile fish.
Schoenfuss is also a leading researcher on the adaptation and evolution of Sicyopterus stimpsoni, the goby fish that climbs waterfalls in Hawaii. See a National Science Foundation multimedia story based on Schoenfuss’ work.
Sicyopterus stimpsoni is the focus of his Hellervik Prize project, which is titled “How Do Changes in Selective Pressures Over a Lifetime Affect Adult Performance?”
Schoenfuss and two undergraduate students will test multiple hypotheses in Hawaii during the 2019 field season. Two of those hypotheses are:
- Predatory pressure faced by juvenile Sicyopterus stimpsoni will affect swimming performance by adult fish
- Male Sicyopterus stimpsoni are less streamlined and therefore more prone to displacement than female fish
The cash prize will fund air fares, lodging, car rental, gasoline, supplies, equipment and 300 hours of pay for the students.
Schoenfuss earned a bachelor’s degree in Germany at Beyreuth University. His master’s and doctorate are from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.
Established in fall 2005, the Hellervik Prize is made possible by a donation from Lowell Hellervik ’56. Hellervik, 83, co-founded Personnel Decisions International, a global consulting firm. He was the 1999 recipient of the Distinguished Professional Contributions Award from the Society for Industrial Organizational/Psychologists.
Congratulations Heiko!
Dr. Schoenfuss’ contributions to the University and the field of Biology are impressive. Many students have found their careers through opportunities he has provided and through his mentoring. This award is well-deserved.
It is also a stroke of genius to realize that wandering through warm rivers and climbing waterfalls in the tropics of the world is a great way for Minnesota scientists to create this impact!