Michael J. Balick, Ph.D.
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Noted Ethnobotanist Michael J. Balick, Ph.D. to Speak at Adelphi on March 26, 2008
Garden City, NY
February 21, 2008
Adelphi University is pleased to welcome Michael J. Balick, Ph.D. to discuss “Ancient Wisdom and Modern Medicine: Plants, People, and Cultures in the Tropical Rainforest” on Wednesday, March 26, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. in the Ruth S. Harley University Center Ballroom, 1 South Avenue, Garden City, NY. The lecture is sponsored by the Joseph J. Napolitano Memorial Lecture and Adelphi’s Biology Department.
At the event, Dr. Balick will talk about the study of plants used in traditional healing by indigenous cultures, his work with Dr. Rosita Arvigo, a naprapathic physician and resident of Belize, Central America, and the methodology of tropical plant exploration, as well as introduce some of the traditional healers that he and his colleagues have worked with in Central America. Following the lecture, Dr. Balick will present a brief video, with excerpts from interviews with two Belizean traditional healers.
Dr. Balick who serves as vice president for botanical science, director and philecology curator for the Institute of Economic Botany at The New York Botanical Garden, has studied the relationship between plants and people for nearly three decades. As a specialist in the field of ethnobotany, Dr. Balick works with indigenous cultures to document their plant knowledge, understand the environmental effects of their traditional management systems and develop sustainable utilization. Devoted to furthering knowledge of the relationship between plants and people, the Institute has become the largest and most active program of its kind in the nation. In collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Balick surveyed Central and South America and the Caribbean for plants with potential applications against cancer and AIDS. In the process, he helped establish numerous collaborations between communities, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and institutions in the United States and Europe.
For more information about this and other events, please visit www.adelphi.edu, or call the University’s Cultural Events Hotline at 516.877.4555.
About Adelphi University: Adelphi University, chartered in 1896, was the first institution of higher education for the liberal arts and sciences on Long Island. Through its schools and programs—The College of Arts and Sciences, the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, the Honors College, the Ruth S. Ammon School of Education, University College, and the Schools of Business, Nursing, and Social Work—the co-educational university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as professional and educational programs for adults. Adelphi University currently enrolls more than 8,300 students from 40 states and 50 foreign countries. With its main campus in Garden City and centers in Manhattan, Hauppauge, and Poughkeepsie, the University maintains a commitment to liberal studies in tandem with rigorous professional preparation and active citizenship.
Media Contact
For additional information, please contact:
Kali Chan
Media Relations Director
p - 516.877.4040
f - 516.877.3266
e - chan@adelphi.edu
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