The 2017 Atmospheric Sciences Research Center’S (ASRC) Falconer Science/Natural History Lecture Series will be held Tuesday evenings at 7 pm at the ASRC Whiteface Field Station, 110 Marble Lane, Wilmington.

These lectures are free and open to the public.

July 11 Blacklegged Ticks – Populations and Preventions, presentation by Lee Ann Sporn, Ph.D. Professor, Biology Paul Smith’s College. Information about blacklegged ticks in the Adirondacks, and the disease-causing agents they carry. In a collaborative study with the New York State Department of Health, she, her students and interns monitor tick populations throughout the North Country, and test them for the presence of pathogens, including those which cause Lyme disease, babesiosis, and Powassan/deer tick virus. While tick densities are still patchy in the North Country, the risk of acquiring these diseases locally is real. Tips to avoid tick bite will also be covered.

July 25 The National Weather Service: A History Lesson, visual presentation by Conor Lahif and Robert Deal of the National Weather Service. Lahif and Deal will discuss the National Weather Service’s past and present, as well as where the organization is headed in the years to come.

August 8 Air Pollution in the Adirondack Park, discussion by Richard Brandt, Science Manager ASRC-WFM Field Station. This talk will feature the history, trends and policies of air pollution in the Adirondacks, the early signs of environmental recovery and the future of pollution monitoring and control.

August 22 Microplastic Pollution in Lake Champlain, discussion by Danielle Garneau, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Environmental Science Center for Earth and Environmental Science. Microplastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems is an emerging topic and continued research is needed to explore the potential for microplastics to alter the Lake Champlain community. The goal of this research was to quantify, map and characterize microplastics in post-treatment wastewater effluent, long-term zooplankton monitoring samples, as well as organisms within Lake Champlain.

Tax-deductable donations to sustain the Science/Natural History Lectures may be made by check payable to The University at Albany Foundation, addressed “Attention: Falconer Fund.”