Campus Lectures

Monday, February 18th

4:30pm Adamson Wing Auditorium, 136A Baker Hall

Louis J. Guillette, Jr., Ph.D., Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor, Distinguished Professor of Zoology, Department of Zoology, University of Florida

Contaminants and the Developing Reproductive System: Lessons from Wildlife

Co-sponsored by the Distinguished Lecture Series in Environmental Science, Technology and Policy

For over a century, wildlife and other animals have been used to predict the potential detrimental or beneficial human health effects of various environmental factors. These factors range from dietary and pharmaceutical effects to exposures to toxic chemicals. As the molecular, cellular and physiological mechanisms underlying the biology of reproduction in vertebrates are clarified, we are able to determine with better assurance, which endpoints are important indicators of compromised reproductive potential. Studies examining the reproductive biology of an wide array of vertebrate species, from fish to non-primate mammals, indicated that exposure to ecologically relevant concentrations of various common environmental contaminants have the potential to disrupt the development and functioning of the reproductive system. Specifically, studies of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and non-primate mammals indicate that developmental exposure to compounds such as various pesticides, plasticizers, industrial waste products, chemical stabilizers, pharmaceutics, plant secondary compounds (phytoestrogens) and flame retardants alter the development of the ovary or testis, for example, leading to compromises in reproductive potential. A growing literature demonstrates the common relationships in the biology of reproduction among vertebrates. Although each species has its unique attributes, significant conservation exists in the underlying molecular, cellular and physiological systems associated with vertebrate reproduction, allowing us, with a reasonable degree of caution, to use data from wildlife and other animal species to access potential environmental influences on the process of human reproduction.


PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE TWO LECTURES ON FEBRUARY 18TH

Monday, February 18th

4:30pm Adamson Wing, 136A Baker Hall

Lou Guillette, Department of Zoology, University of Florida

CONTAMINANTS AND THE DEVELOPING REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM: LESSONS FROM WILDLIFE

Sponsored by the Distinguished Lecture Series in Environmental Science, Technology and Policy

4:30pm Rangos 3, University Center

Barry Barkan, Founder, Living Oaks Institute

TRANSFORMING THE CULTURE OF AGING IN AMERICA

Sponsored by the Institute for Social Innovation

Thursday, February 21st

4:30pm Adamson Wing, 136A Baker Hall

Alejandro Garca-Rivera, Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley

TOPIC: TBA

Sponsored by Carnegie Mellons Phi Beta Kappa Chapter

Monday, February 25th

6:30pm McConomy Auditorium, UC

Imad Moustapha, Syrian Ambassador to the United States

U.S., SYRIA AND THE NEW OLD MIDDLE EAST: CONFRONTATION OR COOPERATION?

Sponsored by the Arab Student Organization (ASO)

Tuesday, February 26th

5:00pm Rangos 3, University Center

Michael Shuman, Author of The Small-Mart Revolution

LOCAL ECONOMYSAVING THE WORLD BY EATING LOCALLY: THE SMALL-MART REVOLUTION

Thursday, February 28th

4:30pm Adamson Wing, 136A Baker Hall

Xiaofei Kang, Modern Languages, Carnegie Mellon

SPIRITS, SEX, AND WEALTH: FOX LORE AND FOX WORSHIP IN CHINA