Diane Orihel is a freshwater

ecologist Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere levels. Ecology overlaps with the closely re ...

. She is currently an Assistant Professor in Aquatic

Ecotoxicology Ecotoxicology is the study of the effects of toxic chemicals on biological organisms, especially at the population biology, population, biological community, community, ecosystem, and biosphere levels. Ecotoxicology is a multidisciplinary field, ...

at Queen's University and Director of the QE3 Research Group. During her PhD, Orihel was dubbed “Lady of the Lakes” by science magazine

Nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

for being a leading voice in saving the

Experimental Lakes Area IISD Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA, known as ELA before 2014) is an internationally unique research station encompassing 58 formerly pristine freshwater lakes in Kenora District, Ontario, Canada. In response to the International Joint Comm ...

, now known as the IISD-ELA. After funding cuts by the Canadian government, Orihel put writing her PhD thesis on hold to spearhead the ''Coalition to Save ELA'' for most of 2012. Her efforts seemed to be in vain for months, and staff members had already started dismantling the site in spring 2013 when the IISD announced they had made a deal with the Ontario provincial government to keep the site open through the summer. After this, the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba promised $2 million a year and $900,000 over six years respectively to keep the ELA running. In April 2014, the IISD announced that they had secured long-term funding for the ELA in cooperation with the Governments of Ontario and Canada. Orihel has received a

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal () or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. There are four versions of the medal: one iss ...

for her efforts to save the ELA

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Orihel, Diane Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Freshwater ecologists Canadian ecologists Women ecologists Canadian environmentalists 21st-century Canadian biologists 21st-century Canadian women scientists University of British Columbia alumni University of Alberta alumni Academic staff of Queen's University at Kingston