Dr. Michael P. Muehlenbein, professor/chair of the Department of Anthropology at Baylor University, will be the featured speaker for two public science lectures set Thursday and Friday, Feb. 6 and 7.
The events are free and open to the public.
Muehlenbein holds advanced degrees in public health and anthropology and has worked at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Indiana University, The University of Texas at San Antonio and now Baylor University.
His academic interests include a variety of topics relating to ecological immunology, evolutionary endocrinology and One Health. He is particularly interested in the roles of hormones in mediating human life history trade-offs, affect and the behavioral immune system, immune biomarker development, risks of emerging infectious diseases associated with human-wildlife contact and most recently, attitudes about the COVID-19 pandemic.
He has worked in 11 countries, been primary instructor to more than 3000 students, brought more than 250 students on 16 study abroad/international research experiences, published two edited volumes and more than 100 papers, organized two international conferences along with nine symposia and is active in doctoral student professional development.
The first lecture, entitled “One Health and Travel/Conservation Medicine: The Environmental Psychology and Biophilia and Risk Perception,” will be held 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, in the Apache Rooms of Rogers Student Center on the TJC central campus. A meet-and-greet session will be held from 7 to 7:30 p.m.
In his second lecture, set for 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, in the UT Tyler University Theatre, Barrick will discuss “Hormones and Immunity in Evolutionary Perspective.” A meet-and-greet session will be held from 7 to 7:30 p.m.
The lectures are part of annual Darwin Day activities and sponsored by TJC, UT Tyler, The Earth and Space Science Center at TJC, Discovery Science Place, the National Science Foundation, and Alpha Chi National College Honor Society.
For more information, go to DarwinDayTyler.org.