Charles R. Goldman, an internationally recognized lake ecologist, has received the campus's public service award in recognition of his career studying the effects of environmental pollutants on lake ecology. Much of his work has focused on Lake Tahoe and the factors contributing to the decline of the lake's clarity. A reknowned resort, Lake Tahoe is remarkably clear because its waters support relatively little plant and animal life, and receive only small amounts of sediments from the surrounding granite mountains. However, development in the Tahoe basin has caused more and more nutrients and decomposing organic matter to enter the lake, promoting excessive growth of algae. By translating his research into public service and social action, Goldman has worked to halt the degradation of Tahoe and other lakes throughout the world. Professor and chair of the environmental studies division, Goldman has led several expeditions to Russia's Lake Baikal, the oldest and deepest lake on earth, and a glacier in Antarctica is named in his honor.