Dr. John Giesy presents: Toxicological Evaluation of Perfluorooctance (Pfos) in the Environment: Anatomy of an Environmental Issue. This is a free event that is open to students, faculty and the general public and is co-sponsored by UOIT and Trent University.
Prof. Giesy has affected your life and that of every living thing on the planet. This is the story of how he applied state of the art chemical methods of mass spectrometry and molecular biology to determine the status and trends of concentrations in the environment and worked out the mechanisms of toxicity and thresholds for effects. Ultimately, through a global assessment of risk the chemicals were banned. This is the scientific and political story of how a very valuable chemical used in many processes was ultimately banned and the public hardly knew anything had happened.
Location: UOIT, room UA1140, 2000 Simcoe St N, Oshawa, ON L1H 7K4
For more information please contact Vivianne.sharpe@uoit.ca
About Dr. Gisey:
Professor John P. Giesy is a world leading eco-toxicologist and environmental chemist with interests in many aspects of eco-toxicology, including both fates and effects of potentially toxic compounds. His studies include both laboratory and field as well as mesocosm studies and apply tools from molecular biology to ecosystem-level. He discovered the phenomenon of photo enhanced toxicity of organic compounds, such as PAHs. He was the first to report the occurrence of perfluorinated compounds in the environment.
He obtained a B.S. Degree, Summa cum laude with honors in Biology from Alma College, M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Limnology from Michigan State University in 1971 and 1974, respectively. He was a professor in the Institute of Ecology and Zoology Department at the University of Georgia for 8 years and then on the faculty of Michigan State University for 26 years where he achieved the rank of Distinguished Professor of Zoology and is now Emeritus. Currently, he is Professor and Canada Research Chair in Environmental Toxicology at the University of Saskatchewan where he is on the faculties of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences and Toxicology Centre. He is also Distinguished Visiting Professor of Biology & Chemistry, at City University of Hong Kong, Concurrent Professor of Environmental Science at Nanjing University, China, Visiting Professor at Xiamen University, Honorary Professor of Biological Science at the University of Hong Kong, and Visiting Professor at the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in the Division of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Discipline of Earth Sciences in the National Academy of Science. He is included in 40 biographical listings, including Who’s Who in Canada, Who's Who in America, and Who’s Who in the World. In 2012 he was rated the No. 1 environmental scientist in Canada by the Globe and Mail Newspaper.
He is also the recipient of many awards including: Willard F. Shepard Award from the Michigan Water Pollution Control Assoc; Vollenweider Medal for Aquatic Sciences from the National Water Research Institute of Canada; Distinguished Alumni Award from Alma College; Sir E.W. Russell Award in the Sciences from the British Soil Science Society; Einstein Professor Award from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is a charter member and has served on the Board of Directors of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) from 1986 until 1992 and as President of the Great Lakes Regional chapter in 1984 and President of the international organization in 1990-1991. He has received 3 major SETAC awards; the Founders Award, which is the highest award; Environmental Education Award and Global Capacity Building Award.
Posted on Tuesday, September 9, 2014.