In today's biodiversity crisis, what is the impact of agriculture on biodiversity? Are there more sustainable alternatives to the current food system? Catherine Badgley, assistant professor of biology and research scientist in the Museum of Paleontology at the University of Michigan, will address these issues during her “Feeding a Hungry Planet: Crisis and Opportunity” lecture.

Badgley will speak on Tuesday, April 26, at 4 p.m. in Life Sciences Complex room 105. The lecture is part of Syracuse University’s Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) 2011 Norma Slepecky Lecture and Award Ceremony, and a recent addition to the SU Showcase lineup of events.

Badgley’s work focuses on the ecological and biological diversity of mammals in space and time, particularly in response to climate change. She has conducted paleontological fieldwork in Pakistan, China, Kenya and the western United States, and is a noted expert on modern mammal biogeography. A longstanding interest in the modern biodiversity crisis led her to study the impact of agriculture on biodiversity, and then to evaluate more sustainable alternatives to the current food system.

After studying geology as an undergraduate at Radcliffe College (Harvard University), Badgley earned her master’s degree from the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She earned her PhD from the Biology Department at Yale.

Norma Slepecky, who passed away in 2001, was a distinguished auditory neuranatomist and member of the Institute for Sensory Research. She was a passionate researcher and an advocate for undergraduate student research. Slepecky frequently mentored
undergraduate students seeking research experience and strongly supported efforts to increase the number of women in science and engineering. The lectureship and undergraduate prize bearing her name was endowed by her family, friends and colleagues to honor Professor Slepecky.

SU Showcase “Sustainability for a Livable Future” recently announced its Showcase Fellows lineup and full schedule of events, including those leading up to the main event on May 2 in Schine Student Center. For more information about Showcase 2011, including
volunteering to help run the day’s activities, visit http://sushowcase.syr.edu.

Website:

http://www.suwise.syr.edu/index.php?page=slepecky-lecture-prize,

http://sushowcase.syr.edu

Contact Person: Sharon Alestalo, swalesta@syr.edu, 315-443-3419

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