Great Conversations is a unique event benefiting the Honors College at the University of North Texas. This engaging program brings together individuals of accomplishment and skill to facilitate conversations on important, diverse, and stimulating topics, ranging from the intellectual to the lighthearted. This year two professors from the UNT Department of Biological Sciences will be featured as guests at the event.
Dr. James Kennedy - Table 12
Fighting the Bite: Mosquito Wrangling in North Central Texas
In early August 2002, Dr. James Kennedy's lab collected the first mosquito populations that tested positive for West Nile Virus in north central Texas. Since that time he has monitored mosquito populations and mosquito-born diseases annually in the City of Denton, in partnership with the City of Denton and the Texas Department of State Health Services. The conversation at this table will focus on mosquito ecology, their populations and West Nile Virus and the recent occurrence of ZIKA, Chikungunya, and Dengue in the Dallas / Fort Worth area.
Dr. James H. Kennedy is a Regents Professor of UNT Biological Sciences and the Executive Director of the Elm fork Education Center and Natural Heritage Museum. In addition, he is an associate director of the University of North Texas Sub-Antarctic Biocultural and Conservation program and has served as a visiting professor the last eight years in the graduate program at the University of Magallanes in Punta Arenas, Chile where he was also a Fulbright Scholar in 2009.
Dr. Kennedy has authored or coauthored over 100 publications covering various aspects of aquatic ecology and ecotoxicology, including laboratory and field toxicity testing procedures, and simulated field studies. His research program focuses on five areas: stream ecology, aquatic insect biology, biodiversity studies, the use of macroinvertebrates in the ecological risk assessment process and environmental education. He is recognized internationally for his work in the use of surrogate aquatic ecosystems in the ecological risk assessment process. Much of his current research is focused in the Sub-Antarctic region of South America where he is developing long term monitoring programs using benthic macroinvertebrates to monitor biologically significant changes in rivers and streams that may be associated with global climate change. The goal of most of the laboratories projects is to develop information to aid in management decisions and conservation of freshwater ecosystems.
Dr. Amie Lund - Table 13
Hold Your Breath: Can the air that you breath contribute to weight gain?
Dr. Amie Lund's toxicology laboratory studies the effects of urban air pollution on the body, including ways that it may contribute to obesity, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and even altering the "good" bacteria that helps you digest food and absorb nutrients. At this table, Dr. Lund will discuss how environmental air pollution can affect one's health, and provide insight into the ways exposure may be minimized.
Dr. Amie Lund is a toxicologist that investigates how exposure to urban air pollution can contribute to disease in the body. Dr. Lund earned her PhD in biomedical science with an emphasis on cardiovascular toxicology at the University of New Mexico in 2005. She then completed a National Institute of Health-funded post-doctoral fellowship and transitioned into an Associate Scientist position at Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute in Albuquerque, NM. Dr. Lund is currently an Associate Professor in the Biological Sciences Department and the Advanced Environmental Research Institute at UNT, where she mentors ten graduate students, a post-doc, and numerous undergraduate students in her research laboratory, which is currently funded by a grant from the National Institute of Health. Dr. Lund has over 40 publications in the field, peer-reviews for over 25 journals and 5 funding agencies, as well as serves as the Vice President for the Lone Star Section and Councilor for the Inhalation and Respiratory Specialty Section for the Society of Toxicology.
Great Conversations is Tuesday, February 25, 2020, in the VIP Clubroom at Apogee Stadium at UNT from 6:00-9:00pm. Check-in, silent auction, and a social hour for guests begins at 6:00 p.m. At 7:00 p.m, guests will be invited to begin conversations with the expert of their choice while enjoying a superb dinner. Tickets are $75.00. Proceeds from the event will directly benefit Honors College students by supporting scholarship funds. The event will also include a silent auction fundraiser.
Visit https://honors.unt.edu/greatconversations for ticket information.