November 1, 2001 GSA Release No. 01-45

The Geological Society of America 2001 Annual Meeting: Boston 2001: A Geo-Odyssey Technical Program: November 5-8, 2001

I. Schedule of Briefings and Related Events II. Wine and Cheese Reception Nov. 7, 5:30-7:30 p.m. III. Additional Information for Public Information Officers

(II) Wine And Cheese Reception: Wednesday, Nov. 7, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Join your colleagues — including members of the New England Science Writers association — for wine and cheese in the Newsroom beginning at 5:30 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., H. Catherine Skinner of the Dept. of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, will give an overview of the emerging field of medical geology and discuss what's hot in this new discipline:

"Everyone is concerned about health, but few give much thought to the geo-environment, the physical base of our existence. We need better understanding of natural phenomena and processes in addition to human alterations to the environment in order to make decisions that support good health. This understanding will come from integrating geological, medical, and dental expertise. Medical geology will encompass a wide variety of issues — both natural and man-made — with topics ranging from rock and soil influences on the quality of the food we eat and the water we drink, to impacts of pollutants on human health, to the role of disease in biodiversity crises and extinction events from the geologic past."

Note: The Pardee Keynote Symposium, "The Emerging Discipline of Medical Geology," takes place Monday, Nov. 5, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., in HCC Ballroom B.