Contents Notes |
"For the 2013 season, the Cutting Edge Speaker Series [focuses] on the theme of human health and the environment. To kick off this theme with an unusual twist, the EPA-RTP Management Council and The Environmental Cutting Edge Speakers Series Committee ... host Dr. Rob Dunn, author and Professor of Biology at NC State University for his presentation 'The Ecology of Our Bodies, Houses and Cities: Discoveries, Theory and New Projects.' Dr. Dunn's area of study is how our relationships with other species--be they tigers, parasites, bacteria or butterflies--affects our health and well being, including how obsession with cleanliness can actually precipitate adverse health effects by disrupting our body's ecosystem. After presenting general concepts, Rob will discuss his current 2,000-home study on the relationships between home microenvironments, bacterial and fungal composition, health and well being. In addition to being a unique take on our 2013 theme, this topic also meshes nicely with our 2012 theme of sustainability by reinforcing the importance of systems thinking."--Series website. |