Award-winning Water Scientist to Speak at UMaine
Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571
ORONO –M. Gordon “Reds” Wolman, professor of geography and international affairs at Johns Hopkins University, will present a seminar on environmental geography and policy at the University of Maine at noon on Thursday, March 22 in Norman Smith Hall.
Wolman, a National Academy of Sciences member, pioneered the study of how rivers influence the shape of the earth’s landforms. Many of his professional and policy interests have been fostered by field work and exposure to resource issues in the American West. A central theme of Wolman’s research is the relative roles of human and natural forces in shaping the land and waters of the earth.
“I have heard Reds speak before, and just his presence is inspirational, he has seen it all. He is one of the great grandfathers of water management,” says Dave Courtemanch, director of the environmental assessment division of Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Land and Water Quality.
Wolman is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to modern water resource management, most recently the Benjamin Franklin Medal from the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia in 2006, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Council for Science and the Environment in 2004. Wolman has served on numerous national, international, and regional committees and panels concerning water policy, water quality, and the management of surface water processes.
Wolman will present a talk entitled, “The Truth About the Environment III: The Adaptable Frog,” from noon to 1:00 p.m. in Room 107, Norman Smith Hall at The University of Maine. Wolman’s visit is sponsored by the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Environmental and Watershed Research.
The seminar is free and open to the public. For more information, visit http://www.umaine.edu/waterresearch/outreach/lecture_series.htm