ISU professor John Downing recently received an honor from Nanchang University in China. He is now a research chairman at the university and is planning on creating a greater partnership between Nanchang University and Iowa State.

Downing initially began working with Nanchang after a Chinese scientist from the university contacted him regarding a mutual interest in water based issues.

In China, Downing has been working with Minghua Chen on changes in water, specifically in Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China. Poyang Lake is potentially becoming eutrophic, or overly rich in minerals.

Downing and Chen have been looking at nutrients and how they get into the watershed. This is an issue because when water changes in character, plants and animals in the environment are also affected. Downing told of a unique species of porpoise that has been completely eliminated from Poyang Lake due to changes in the ecosystem. The lake has also lost several species of fish. The changes affect humans in the area as well. The algae-filled green water is potentially responsible for creating a parasitic environment. The parasites can cause disease and water-borne illnesses which is quite threatening to humans in the area.

Downing plans to return to the Jiangxi Province and work with Chen in the future. As he expands their partnership he anticipates potential positions for undergraduate and graduate students.