DEDICATION

The 7th Symposium is affectionately dedicated to the memory of Robert Vance Thurston, who died unexpectedly on February 16, 2002 at the age of 75. Dr. Thurston had been on the faculty of Montana State University since 1971, as a research professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and director of the Fisheries Bioassay Laboratory.

Dr. Thurston's research specialties were fish physiology, aquatic toxicity testing, field water quality monitoring, and chemical limnology. He was internationally recognized as an expert on ammonia toxicity to aquatic organisms. Dr. Thurston was very active in international environmental research projects, most prominently in the Baltic republics, the former Soviet Union, and Mexico. He was a key individual in establishing the first U.S.-Lithuania environmental research and education agreement in 1989, while Lithuania was still part of the Soviet Union. Dr. Thurston was a principal organizer of the first six International Symposia, and editor of several of the Proceedings volumes.