The news of the sudden passing of Dr. Denis Lynn came as a great shock to members of his former Department at the University of Guelph. Denis had spent the bulk of his career here, having completed his undergraduate degree in marine biology at the University of Guelph and returning as a faculty member in 1977, after earning a PhD at the University of Toronto and completing a stint as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Denis retired in 2010 and relocated to the University of British Columbia as an Adjunct Professor, continuing to pursue his passion for research and student training. By the time I first met Denis, he was already a senior faculty member in the (then) Department of Zoology. I began my graduate training in the Department in 1997 under Dr. Paul Hebert, who was then Department Chair. Most of my impressions of Denis during that time came indirectly through my advisor and via interactions with graduate students in his lab. My sense was that Denis was highly respected both academically and personally and that he was a devoted researcher and teacher who cared deeply about his science and his students. That early impression has been amply confirmed in my subsequent interactions with Denis, and through reflections provided by his long-standing colleagues (CBS, 2018 and pers. comm.): “Denis was a great hero of mine. As a person, he was so gentle and so kind. As a teacher, he was completely dedicated to advancing his students. His thoughtful lectures were challenging to everyone involved, himself included. Post lecture, he often meditated on, not at, his desk to regain inner calm. My graduate students loved their interactions with him; he asked them to place their work within the context of their discipline and the scientific enterprise. As a researcher, his knowledge of ciliates was unrivalled. When I was obsessed with the evolution of breeding systems and genome sizes, Denis provided fascinating perspectives from his strange world – the one dominated by protists. Denis never lost his fire for science. He was regularly at the bench, so unlike most senior academics. Denis was an academic who never grew old, who never lost his passion for science.” – Dr. Paul Hebert, Director, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph

中文翻译：

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我从丹尼斯林恩那里学到了什么

丹尼斯·林恩博士突然去世的消息令他在圭尔夫大学的原系成员感到震惊。丹尼斯的大部分职业生涯都在这里度过，他在圭尔夫大学完成了海洋生物学的本科学位，并于 1977 年作为教员返回多伦多大学获得博士学位并完成了博士后研究员的工作。苏格兰圣安德鲁斯大学。丹尼斯于 2010 年退休，并作为兼职教授搬到不列颠哥伦比亚大学，继续追求他对研究和学生培训的热情。当我第一次见到丹尼斯时，他已经是（当时）动物学系的一名高级教员。1997 年，我在当时担任系主任的 Paul Hebert 博士的指导下开始了该系的研究生培训。在那段时间里，我对丹尼斯的大部分印象都是通过我的导师以及与他实验室研究生的互动间接获得的。我的感觉是，丹尼斯在学术和个人方面都受到高度尊重，他是一位敬业的研究人员和教师，非常关心他的科学和他的学生。在我随后与丹尼斯的互动中，以及他的长期同事（CBS，2018 和 pers. comm.）提供的反思中，这种早期印象得到了充分证实：“丹尼斯是我的伟大英雄。作为一个人，他是那么的温柔，那么的善良。作为一名教师，他全心全意地提升他的学生。他深思熟虑的讲座对所有参与者都具有挑战性，包括他自己。课后，他经常在办公桌上冥想，而不是在办公桌前，以恢复内心的平静。我的研究生喜欢与他的互动；他要求他们将他们的工作放在他们的学科和科学事业的背景下。作为一名研究人员，他对纤毛虫的了解是无与伦比的。当我沉迷于繁殖系统和基因组大小的进化时，丹尼斯从他的陌生世界中提供了迷人的视角——这个由原生生物主导的世界。丹尼斯从未失去对科学的热情。他经常坐在板凳上，所以不像大多数资深学者。丹尼斯是一位永远不会变老的学者，他从未失去对科学的热情。” – Paul Hebert 博士，圭尔夫大学生物多样性基因组学中心主任 当我沉迷于繁殖系统和基因组大小的进化时，丹尼斯从他的陌生世界中提供了迷人的视角——这个由原生生物主导的世界。丹尼斯从未失去对科学的热情。他经常坐在板凳上，所以不像大多数资深学者。丹尼斯是一位永远不会变老的学者，他从未失去对科学的热情。” – Paul Hebert 博士，圭尔夫大学生物多样性基因组学中心主任 当我沉迷于繁殖系统和基因组大小的进化时，丹尼斯从他的陌生世界中提供了迷人的视角——这个由原生生物主导的世界。丹尼斯从未失去对科学的热情。他经常坐在板凳上，所以不像大多数资深学者。丹尼斯是一位永远不会变老的学者，他从未失去对科学的热情。” – Paul Hebert 博士，圭尔夫大学生物多样性基因组学中心主任