Dr. George M. Woodwell, a highly respected ecologist and an emeritus member of the Nicholas School Board of Visitors, passed away at his home in Massachusetts on June 18.
Woodwell was founder and Director Emeritus of The Woods Hole Research Center, which he directed from 1985 to 2005. Earlier he had founded and directed for ten years the Ecosystems Center at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass. Prior to that, he held appointments in research and education at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Yale University, and the University of Maine.
Woodwell’s research focused on the structure and function of natural communities, especially forests, and their role as segments of the biosphere. He led well-known studies of the ecological effects of ionizing radiation and the circulation and effects of pesticides, especially DDT, studies that led to the founding of the Environmental Defense Fund. He was a founding board member of the NRDC and The World Resources Institute. A member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he holds degrees from Dartmouth College and both an MA and PhD from Duke University. His recent Book, “A World to Live In” (MIT Press), deals with the biophysical limits of the earth.
In his role on the Nicholas School Board of Visitors, Woodwell was quick to share his thoughts on climate change and how the school and board could focus attention on this global challenge. His service on the board was recognized in 2016 when Duke honored him by naming a distinguished professorship after him at the Nicholas School.
