Media contact: Noelle Lemoine, communications assistant; tele: (413) 597-4277; email: [email protected]
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., January 10, 2012 – Throughout January, the Williams College biology department will be hosting free, public events as part of their Science Communication series. Headlining the events will be a lecture by Dr. Richard Besser ’81, ABC News’ senior health and medical editor, who will present “Pandemics, Public Health, and Political Change.” The talk will take place in Wege Auditorium, Thompson Chemistry, at 7 p.m., on Tuesday, Jan. 17.
Before joining the ABC News staff in 2009, where he provides medical analysis and commentary for broadcasts such as World News with Diane Sawyer and Good Morning America, Besser directed the Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From January to June 2009, Besser was responsible for the CDC’s response to the H1N1 influenza outbreak.
On Thursday, Jan. 19, the biology department will host a screening of the film Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus. The 2006 documentary written and directed by Randy Olson chronicles the conflict between the concepts of evolution and intelligent design and ultimately argues for better communication from scientists. The screening will take place in Wege Auditorium at 7 p.m.
Olson’s next feature film, Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy, will be screened in Wege Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 24. This 2008 film combines fiction with documentary narrative to explore global warming. A Q&A with Olson will follow through Skype.
Olson earned a Ph.D. in biology from Harvard and served as a tenured professor of marine biology before entering film school. His films utilize comedy and his background in the sciences at the University of New Hampshire to address pressing science issues. He founded and currently directs the Shifting Baselines Ocean Media Project, which uses filmmaking to bring attention to the severe need for ocean conservation.
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For building locations on the Williams campus, please consult the map outside the driveway entrance to the Security Office located in Hopkins Hall on Main Street (Rte. 2), next to the Thompson Memorial Chapel, or call the Office of Communications (413) 597-4277. The map can also be found on the web at www.williams.edu/map
To visit the college on the Internet: www.williams.edu Williams College can also be found on Facebook: www.facebook.com/williamscollege and Twitter: twitter.com/williamscollege
Published January 10, 2012
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