Author Talk: “Marine Pollution: What Everyone Needs to Know” at SoFo

Dr. Judith Weis, Professor of Biological Sciences at Rutgers University, Newark, received her B.A. from Cornell, and MS and PhD from NYU. She has published over 200 scientific papers and has recently been writing natural history books for the general public, most recently “Marine Pollution: What Everyone Needs to Know.” A Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, she has been on advisory committees for EPA, NOAA, and the National Research Council, and was president of the American Institute of Biological Sciences.

In this illustrated presentation, Dr. Weis will cover marine pollution from numerous angles, as she does in her well-received, recently published book, Marine Pollution: What Everyone Needs to Know. Beginning with its sources and history, she will discuss common pollutants, why they are harmful, why they cause controversy, and how we can prevent them from destroying our aquatic ecosystems. She will talk about harmful algal blooms as a serious concern, and cover pollutants that are only now surfacing as major threats, such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and metal nanoparticles. She will explain how these pollutants can begin in the water and progress up the food chain to emerge in human bodies. Looking at the effects of climate change and acidification on marine pollution levels, we will learn how we can begin to reduce pollution at both local and global levels.

To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631.537.9735