UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Jay Stauffer, professor of ichthyology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has been named a distinguished professor by the university.

The title of distinguished professor was established by the Office of the President to recognize a select group of professors with exceptional accomplishments in teaching, research and service.

"As one of our best professors in the college and university, Dr. Stauffer is very deserving of this recognition," says Robert Steele, dean of the college. "The effectiveness of his research and outreach activities, as well as his impact on our students, is exceptional."

A faculty member in the college's School of Forest Resources, Stauffer is an internationally known expert on the ecology, systematics and zoogeography of fishes. For two decades, he has studied fishes in Africa's Lake Malawi, focusing on cichlids, a family of often bright-colored, tropical fishes that are an important food source for Africans and are widely available as aquarium specimens in this country. His research has spawned discoveries related to breeding and other behaviors, evolutionary mechanisms and conservation of native species. He has twice received the Senior Fulbright Research Scholar Award in connection with this research.

Stauffer's work is leading to strategies for using native cichlids, now diminished by overfishing, to control the snails that carry schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease of humans that has reached epidemic proportions in the Lake Malawi region. Commonly known as snail fever, schistosomiasis occurs in 74 countries and is ranked second only to malaria as a leading cause of human morbidity by a parasitic agent. Closer to home, Stauffer's research in the eastern United States culminated in the 1995 publication, "Fishes of West Virginia," the first significant comprehensive work documenting fish species in the Mountain State. A similar book, "Fishes of Pennsylvania," is in progress, to include a CD with an interactive key and underwater videos of most of Pennsylvania's fish species.

Stauffer's publication record in scientific journals includes more than 150 refereed articles. He has overseen more than $5.8 million in projects funded by industrial, state and federal contracts, largely related to the environmental assessment of managed fisheries, the protection of endangered fishes and the evaluation of human-induced environmental stresses.

Called "a scholar of extraordinary scope and energy" by Charles Strauss, director of the School of Forest Resources, Stauffer interacts with about 100 students annually while teaching courses in ichthyology, vertebrate biology, ecology of fishes, and evolution and systematics of fishes. Several students at Penn State and other universities have completed master's or doctoral degrees under his supervision. He also has contributed to several Penn State Cooperative Extension education programs on pond fishes, has worked with local high schools to develop aquaculture programs and is helping to design a 4-H youth program in aquaculture and ornamental fishes.

Stauffer joined Penn State as an associate professor in 1984 and was named full professor in 1988. He received his bachelor's degree from Cornell University and his doctorate from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

To be named a distinguished professor, a faculty member must be an acknowledged leader in his/her field; must demonstrate significant leadership in raising the standards of the university with respect to teaching, research or creative activity, and service; and must demonstrate excellent teaching skills that have contributed significantly to the education of students who subsequently achieve recognition of excellence in their fields.

###

Chuck Gill Writer/Editor office: 814-863-2713 e-mail: cdg5@psu.edu