Members of the MBU Family and general public are invited to spend an evening with internationally acclaimed botany and climate change expert Dr. Camellia Moses Okpodu on Wednesday, November 16, at 7 p.m. in the Francis Auditorium.
Okpodu’s talk will center around research that uses wild and agricultural plant systems to identify environmental stressors and explore the effects of climate change. It will cover topics like how various plants are — or aren’t — adapting to the climate crisis, how negative impacts might be managed, and more.
Dr. Okpodu is an internationally celebrated biochemist, climate scholar, researcher, and consultant. She has spent more than 25 years working in higher education, holds a doctorate in plant physiology and biochemistry from North Carolina State University, and is currently the dean of the University of Wyoming College of Arts and Sciences.
Past positions and honors include research fellowships with Virginia Tech, the National Institute of Health, and American Council on Education, teaching at Xavier University, and serving as the Endowed Chair of Science for the State of Louisiana.
Okpodu has also worked as a climate change consultant and STEM programming director for numerous government organizations — including the Department of Homeland Security, NASA, and the National Science Foundation.
She has been featured in numerous scholarly journals, magazines, and television programs, including the Oprah Winfrey Show. Her biography was officially inducted into the National Library of Congress earlier this year.
The Mary E. Humphreys Biology Lecture Series was established in 1992 in honor of late professor emerita of biology Dr. Mary Humphreys.