Bin Zhu Receives Humphrey R. Tonkin Award for Scholarly and/or Artistic Creativity
Bin Zhu
Professor of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences
Humphrey R. Tonkin Award
This award honors a full-time faculty member for scholarly and/or artistic creativity.
Bin Zhu has been with the University for 14 years, seven as an associate professor and two as a fully tenured professor of biology. Throughout his academic residency, he has built a reputation as an outstanding researcher, highly regarded author of scientific papers, and mentor of exceptional enthusiasm and commitment.
Zhu’s focus is on aquatic species and water quality, with an emphasis on invasive species such as the European frogbit, which poses an ecological threat in the United States and Canada.
One particular attribute respected by students past and present is Zhu’s eagerness to involve undergraduates in his research. Dozens have participated in his environmental projects. Some analyze samples while others actually don rubber boots to collect those samples in biodiverse waterways.
Zhu’s route to UHart began in China, where he received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in ecology from Nanjing University. He went on to earn a PhD from Syracuse University, then took on postdoctoral assignments at Cornell University and the Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
This broad range of experience sparked an active and ongoing role in scientific writing. Zhu’s work—which to date includes chapters in four books and almost two dozen articles in respected journals—has added important information to the available literature in his field. He also served as an associate editor for the Journal of Aquatic Plant Management and the Journal of Plant Ecology.
Zhu has held leadership roles in the Northeast Aquatic Plant Management Society, where he served as a board member and as the organization’s president.
One project that stands out because of its local connection focuses on a branch of the Park River that runs through the University of Hartford campus, and the estrogen, nitrates, and phosphates that are found there. The study provided valuable information on the impact that the campus and adjacent residential and urban areas have on water quality and aquatic life. Zhu led a study on the impact of the construction of an on-campus bridge on aquatic life, which allowed his students to see the relevance of their work in their immediate surroundings.