Zoology

Dr. William M. Lewis is the founder and former director of the SIUC Cooperative Fisheries Research Laboratory and is Professor Emeritus of Zoology at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He arrived at SIU in 1949, having just obtained his PhD from Iowa State University. He chaired the Department of Zoology from 1973-1979. Although he retired in 1983 and moved to North Carolina, he has remained associated with SIUC, through which he actively engages in research. Under his direction, the Fisheries Research Laboratory (currently the SIUC Fisheries and Illinois Aquaculture Center) became one of the most productive units at SIUC. Thirteen doctorates and over one hundred master's degrees have been awarded to fisheries students under his direction. He is a noted authority in fisheries science, has published over 75 research papers, and was president of the American Fisheries Society during 1982-1983. Dr. Lewis was involved in aquaculture research in Brazil and offered an intensive short-course on aquaculture for Brazilians in the fall of 1981. Although Dr. Lewis is an authority on many aspects of warm water aquaculture, his recent work has particular application to tropical nations. He, along with researchers in the Department of Botany, developed a system for combining fish culture with horticulture (hydroponics), whereby vegetable crops utilize the nitrogenous waste products from the fish. The re-circulating system allows for production of two crops, fish and vegetables, while at the same time conserves water. In 1982, Dr. Lewis established the Carolina Fish Hatchery near Faison, North Carolina.

In 1995, Dr. Lewis received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Fisheries Society.