Dr. Richard S. Ostfeld, Senior Scientist with the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, will give a talk entitled “Emerging Infectious Disease in a Warmer, More Fragmented World” for the University of Connecticut’s Edwin Way Teale Lecture Series on Nature and the Environment. The talk will take place on February 4, 4 pm at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, Konover Auditorium, at UConn. The lecture is free and open to the public.
We live in an age of emerging infectious diseases. Most of these diseases are transmitted from wildlife to humans, but scientists are only beginning to understand the ecological causes of disease emergence in the 21st Century. In this talk, Dr. Ostfeld will describe the ecology of three emerging tick-borne diseases in the northeastern United States, most prominently Lyme disease. He will show how small mammals, such as white-footed mice, are instrumental in fostering both blacklegged ticks and the pathogens they transmit. More than 20 years of ecological research in Dr. Ostfeld’s lab reveal how anthropogenic environmental changes, such as reduced biodiversity and global warming, affect our risk of exposure to infectious diseases both locally and globally. The presentation will demonstrate the importance of ecology as a health science.
The Edwin Way Teale Lecture Series brings leading scholars and scientists to the University of Connecticut to present public lectures on nature and the environment. The lectures are open to the public and do not require registration. For additional information please call 860.486.4460 or visit http://doddcenter.uconn.edu/asc/events/teale/teale.htm
For more information, contact: Natural History Museum at 860.486.4460