January 2009

Science on tap

It's that time of year — time for a fresh start, good intentions and a handful of resolutions. Exercise. Eat better. Drink less. Wait — does improving your nutrition mean giving up your evening glass of wine?

Dr. Michael McIntosh, L.S. Keker Excellence Professor in the nutrition department, will address that when he discusses “The French Paradox: Is Red Wine Really Good for You?” on Jan. 21 at The Green Bean coffee shop.

The conversation is just one of a year-long series of free science talks called Science on Tap, sponsored by the UNCG Institute for Community and Economic Engagement and part of The Science and Society Lecture Series.

All Science on Tap events will take place from 8-9:30 p.m. the third Wednesday of each month at The Green Bean, 341 S. Elm Street. Upcoming dates and topics include:

• Feb. 18 — “Hormones, wildlife and health: Do feminized male frogs mean we're killing ourselves?” — Dr. Cheryl A. Logan, professor, Department of Psychology, adjunct professor, Department of Biology.
• March 18 — “Genes and medicine: New ways to prevent disease or a new problem for healthcare?” — Dr. Vince Henrich, director, Center for Biotechnology, Genomics and Health Research.
• April 15 — “Chemicals in the environment” — Dr. Bruce Banks, associate professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

The Science and Society Lecture Series will also include a campus lecture March 31 by Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Laurie Garrett.

Garrett, an authority on global health and disease prevention, has won the Peabody, Polk and Pulitzer prizes for her work and is senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations.

She is the best-selling author of “The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World out of Balance” and “Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health.”

For more information about The Science and Society Lecture Series, visit scienceandsociety.uncg.edu, email researchpartners@uncg.edu or call (336) 334-4623.