Osgood Memorial Lecture to feature James White

James White, professor of geological sciences and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder, will present "Can Humans and Nature Coexist? The Fundamental Challenges and Opportunities of Sustainability and Climate Change."

The presentation will be at the 39th annual Richard G. Osgood, Jr. Memorial Lecture on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at The College of Wooster. The event is free and open to the public and will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Lean Lecture Room of Wishart Hall, 303 E. University St.

A dessert reception will precede the lecture.

White’s research interests are broad, but all revolve around the use of environmental stable isotope ratios. He started the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research Stable Isotope Lab in 1989. His research has shown large climate changes tend to occur in the natural system as abrupt and rapid shifts in mode are probably driven by internal adjustments in the Earth climate system rather than slow and gradual adjustments to changing external conditions such as the amount of energy received from the sun.

His research also has helped to show land plants are capable of removing large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, amounts that equal our input of carbon dioxide from fossil-fuel burning on short-time scales.

The Richard G. Osgood, Jr. Memorial Lectureship in geology was established in 1981 and endowed by his three sons in memory of their father, a paleontologist with an international reputation who taught at Wooster from 1967-81. Funds from this endowment are used to bring a well-known scientist interested in paleontology and/or stratigraphy to the campus each year to lecture and meet with students.

White’s lecture is sponsored by the Department of Earth Sciences and the Richard G. Osgood, Jr. Memorial Lecture Endowed Fund. More information is available by calling 330-263-2380 or emailing preeder@wooster.edu.