10/13/2000

Lunchtime Forum Addressing Cultural and Religious Interactions with Science

AUBURN, Ala.— Meshing cultural and religious issues with biological research is the theme of a this month's meeting of Auburn University (AU) Forum on Sustainability and Biocomplexity, a brown-bag luncheon series to be held Thursday, Oct. 19, at noon in AU's Telfair Peet Theatre Complex's "Theatre Upstairs."

According to Mark Dubois, faculty advisor of the Forum, this month's presentation features Kelley Alley, associate professor of Anthropology and director of AU's Anthropology Program, who will speak on "Sacred Ecology and Pollution Control in the Ganges River Basin."

Alley, who holds a B.S. degree from Cornell University and the Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has conducted research in India for the past decade, focusing on public culture and environmental issues. She is author of the book On the Banks of the Ganga: Sacred Ecology and Waste, which explores the Hindu interpretations of the sacred river Ganga in light of current environmental problems.

Her presentation at the Forum will focus on the need to include cultural variables in biological research and what linguistic and cultural data tell scientists about their research models and agendas. Her presentation will lead to the discussion of the need to include cultural traditions in notions of sustainability.

The Forum, which began last month, is organized through AU's School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences and sponsored by the Sustainable Forestry Partnership, The National Science Foundation Biocomplexity consortium and the Center for Forest Sustainability.

The Forum's goal is to promote an interdisciplinary discussion by bringing in experts from a wide range of fields to stimulate dialogues on sustainable agriculture, forestry, natural resource issues and biodiversity.

According to Dubois, this and future Forums will feature faculty from Auburn University and other institutions from a broad range of areas - from anthropology to economics to engineering to biological sciences, and more.

The forum is free and open to anyone interested in joining the discussion or learning more about these issues. Pizza and drinks will be provided at the meeting, or participants may bring their own lunches. For more information on the forum, contact the organizers at brownbagging@hotmail.com or the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences at 334-844-1025.

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Auburn University College of Agriculture
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
3 Comer Hall, Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849
334-844-4877 (PHONE) 334-844-5892 (FAX)

Contact Jamie Creamer, 334-844-2783 or jcreamer@auburn.edu
Contact Katie Jackson, 334-844-5886 or smithcl@auburn.edu

10/13/00