Read on to learn about this upcoming lecture by Linda Smith next week:

Time and Location: November 6th, 3:30 PM in Johnson Hall Rm 075

Title of Talk: Arsenic: An Ancient Enemy Reborn

Presenter: Dr. Linda Smith, co-founder and Director of Filters for Families (FFF), and Adjunct Professor at University of Denver, Colorado Women’s College.

Summary: In her talk, Linda will explain how the arsenic came to be widely distributed through the Gangetic plain and Himalayan foothills over the course of geologic time and why it has just recently emerged as  widely recognized public health problem. After briefly summarizing some of the relevant arsenic chemistry and health effects, she will review the status of the testing and remediation of arsenic contamination in well water, including the work of the nonprofit foundation that she directs. Not among the least of the challenges is persuading villagers in a developing country to spend their meager financial assets on arsenic testing and remediation. The talk will be introduced by Mike Wallace.

Linda will be available Friday for meeting with interested faculty and students. 

About Linda: Linda Smith is the co-founder and Director of Filters for Families (FFF), a non-profit organization working on providing safe water in Nepal and Native American reservations. In her role as FFF Director, she directs and manages international research programs in hydrogeology, social science, health, and water policy implementation. She has developed an extensive sustainable water mitigation program in Nepal through local maintenance programs, workshops, and radio programs. She worked on site in Nepal after the April 2014 earthquake to provide safe drinking water to families displaced form their homes. Linda is an Adjunct Professor at University of Denver, Colorado Women’s College, where she teaches courses in Earth Science, Environmental Policy, and Women in Science. Linda’s career as an Exploration Geologist took a dramatic turn toward the Development sector after a Fulbright Award to Nepal in 2001.

Linda’s visit and lecture are sponsored by the College of the Environment, with contributions from the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, the Program on ocean Change IGERT, and the Department of Atmospheric Sciences.