Decades of following the migratory journeys of his beloved monarch butterfly recently led Lincoln Brower back to one place that helped move his life’s work forward.
Lincoln Brower, SBC professor of biology, at Yale University Graduate School 2005 commencement. (Enlarge photo)In May the Yale Graduate School Alumni Association awarded him its highest honor, the Wilbur Lucius Cross Medal. The research professor of biology at Sweet Briar College earned his doctorate in zoology at Yale in 1957.
Brower — who taught biology at Amherst College for 22 years and is distinguished service professor of zoology emeritus, University of Florida — has researched overwintering, migration, and conservation biology of monarchs for five decades. A documentary filmmaker in his own right, Brower’s scientific work was the subject of an Emmy-winning documentary. He is a world-renowned expert and ardent defender of the monarch butterfly and its habitats.
“In addition to my curiosity about the monarch’s natural history, my work is motivated by the desire to provide sound scientific recommendations to conservation organizations and government agencies charged with protecting the monarchs’ fragile and disappearing habitat in Mexico, Canada, and the United States,” Brower writes of his research.
He remains active in his retirement as a research professor at SBC, where he collaborates with his wife, biology professor Linda Fink, Sweet Briar students, and other scientists from the United States and Mexico.
In presenting the Cross Medal the alumni association cited Brower’s “courage and leadership in applying biological insights to conservation issues” and “exemplary demonstration that excellence in research does not preclude excellence in teaching.”
Lincoln Brower, Sweet Briar College research professor of biology (left), accepted the Wilbur Lucius Cross Medal on May 22, 2005. Jon Butler (center), Yale Graduate School dean, and Martin Cobern, Graduate School Alumni Association Executive Committee chair, presented the award for the association. Photo courtesy of Yale Graduate School Alumni Association. 
