David Schindler, Killam Memorial Professor of Ecology at the University of Alberta, has been called one of the foremost water scientists in the world. Somebody once said that if there was a Nobel Prize for ecology, he would win it. Well, there is no Nobel Prize for ecology, but David Schindler has received the first Stockholm Water Prize and the Volvo International Environment Prize, the only Canadian to win either one. He has also won international awards in limnology and the 2001 Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering. Dr. Schindler has also been labelled by the Hudson Institute as a professional public hand wringer for his frequent warnings about potential environmental dangers. Through his four decades as a scientist, he has maintained a clear vision of the importance of understanding the complexities of water, and the responsibility of a scientist in public debate.