BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University’s Professor of Biology R. Given Harper has been named the George C. and Ella Beach Lewis Endowed Chair of Biology. Endowed professorships and chairs honor faculty members who have distinguished themselves in terms of teaching, research and service.
An avian ecologist with diverse research interests, Harper’s scholarly work ranges from documenting DDT and heavy metal contaminants in North American gray wolves, to estimating the breeding populations of red-tailed hawks and American Kestrels in Illinois. He has been called upon to offer expert testimony during legislative hearings on the impact of development on wildlife, such as strip-mining affecting the nesting of eagles in rural Illinois. National and area media have sought his input on topics that can vary from contaminants found in migratory birds to the effects of climate change.