Environmental Analysis and Action Symposium Seeks to Heighten Awareness

WOOSTER, Ohio - The College of Wooster's Environmental Analysis and Action program will present a series of lectures in the coming months to increase awareness about threats to natural biodiversity and why people should care. The lectures, which are free and open to the public, will be held in Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center (525 E. University St.) beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Rodolfo Dirzo, professor of biology at Stanford University, will open the series on Wednesday, Feb. 20, when he presents "Tropical Biodiversity: An Endangered Natural Treasure." Dirzo studies plant-animal interactions in an effort to better understand how the ecology and evolution of plants are affected by their biotic environment. His work is focused on tropical forest ecosystems, and he has written extensively on the topic, including a book, titled Tropical Forests: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning. In addition, he has received numerous honors, including the Presidential Award in Ecology from the Secretary of Environment of Mexico.

Jan Salick, curator of ethnobotany at Missouri Botanical Garden and professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Missouri-St. Louis, will visit campus to present the second lecture, "Indigenous Peoples Creating, Managing and Conserving Biodiversity" on Wednesday, March 5. Salick's research interests include ethnobotany, conservation biology, tropical ecology, and agroecology. She has published a number of articles, including "Tibetan Sacred Sites Conserve Old Growth Trees in the Eastern Himalayas" in Biodiversity and Conservation.

Bryan Norton, professor of philosophy at Georgia Institute of Technology, will address "Evaluation and Species Preservation" at the third lecture on Monday, March 31. Norton specializes in the philosophy of science and conceptual change in, and across, scientific disciplines. He writes on inter-generational equity, sustainability theory, bio-diversity policy and valuation methods. In addition to his duties as a professor in the School of Public Policy, Norton is an associated scientist at Zoo Atlanta and the author of several books, including Sustainability: A Philosophy of Adaptive Ecosystem Management.

John Fraser, director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's public research and evaluation program, will conclude the series with "Advocating for Biodiversity: What Can The Zoo Do?" on Tuesday, April 8. Fraser has more than 20 years of experience working in the environmental communications field, including leadership positions in zoo management, design, and children's learning center development. His primary interest is in understanding how people develop a sense of responsibility toward nature through public social experiences.

"This symposium wraps up a three-year program, funded by the Henry Luce Foundation, that has fostered campus research and discussion on environmental topics," said Susan Clayton, professor of psychology at Wooster and a participant in the program from the start. "We're delighted to close with these distinguished speakers, who will remind us of the incredible resource that natural biodiversity provides and the ways in which people respond to it."

Additional information about the symposium is available by phone (330-263-2548) or e-mail (lmcbride@wooster.edu).