According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 3-5 million cases of cholera occur each year.
Dr. Rita Colwell, environmental microbiologist and distinguished professor at the University of Maryland at College Park and Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, aims to inform the world of the interaction between the environment and our health.
Colwell will speak at 7:30 tonight in the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium as part of the Frontiers in Science Lecture Series. The lecture is free.
Colwell is planning to speak about the interactions of climate, ocean parameters and public health, using cholera as a prime example.
“I hope that the students can learn about the relationship between climate, the environment, infectious diseases and our health,” said Colwell.
Colwell has authored or co-authored 17 books, including the recently published Oceans and Health: Pathogens in the Marine Environment.
She was also the producer for the award-winning film Invisible Seas, which demonstrated the need for providing clean water to prevent the spread of cholera.
Colwell is also the recipient of several awards, including the 2010 Stockholm Water Prize for her research and contributions to solving water-related health problems.
She holds a B.S. in Bacteriology, a M.S. in Genetics from Purdue University and a Ph.D. in Marine Microbiology from the University of Washington.
This will be her first time visiting Ohio University.
ao007510@ohiou.edu
