ELON COLLEGE – Dr. JoAnn Burkholder, who is known for her research into pfiesteria, a harmful aquatic organism affecting North Carolina waterways, will speak Thursday, Feb. 25 in Whitley Auditorium at Elon College.
The speech, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7:30 p.m.
Burkholder is an associate professor of botany and aquatic ecology at North Carolina State University. She co-discovered pfiesteria, a single-celled organism that, since, 1991, has killed millions of fish in Mid-Atlantic coastal waters and, in some cases, been linked to human illnesses. It has been found from Delaware to Alabama, but has been most active in the shallow coastal estuaries of North Carolina.
Aside from research and teaching, Burkholder is active in environmental education outreach programs. Her scientific research and activism are the subject of the book, And The Waters Turned to Blood, by Rodney Barker.
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