Friday, September 06, 2002

WILMINGTON – Dr. Rita Colwell, director of the National Science Foundation, will be the kick off speaker in the UNCW Center for Marine Science 2002-03 “Planet Ocean Seminar Series.” The topic of her talk will be Oceans, Climate and Health: The Cholera Paradigm.

Dr. Colwell speaks at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 18 in the auditorium at the Center for Marine Science at 5600 Marvin K. Moss Lane, south of Whiskey Creek off Masonboro Loop Road. Because of limited space, reservations are required. Call 910/962-2300 by 5 p.m., Sept. 11, to register. A reception follows at 7 p.m.

An aquatic microbiologist, Dr. Colwell has spent over 30 years studying the microbial disease cholera. In recent years, use of satellite data has led to a greater understanding of how global environmental change influences the spread of this deadly disease.

She and her fellow researchers have found, through the use of remotely sensed data, that cholera epidemics can now be related to climatic and climatic events, including ocean warming events such as El Nino.

A key breakthrough occurred in the early 70s when she and her colleagues discovered that the cholera bacterium lives in the gut of microscopic aquatic animals. This pivotal discovery occurred only through years of fundamental research, both in the laboratory and in the field. Proving the link between plankton and the cholera bacterium allowed Dr. Colwell and her fellow researchers to develop a simple and inexpensive solution to help reduce the presence of cholera bacteria in water obtained from untreated sources.

In her capacity as director of the National Science Foundation, she has spearheaded the agency’s emphases in K-12 science and mathematics education, graduate science and engineering education and training, and the increased participation of women and minorities in science and engineering.