At the meeting of the Gila Native Plant Society on Friday, May 18, 2018, Kenneth Sexton will give a talk entitled "Transport and Fate of Plant-based and Man-made Chemicals in the Environment." His presentation will cover air and water pollution, the uptake of pollutants by plants and the negative effects on the insects that eat them. And he will address a key question: If many different insects are experimentally documented as dying from eating the plants, might bees also be affected? In conclusion, he will discuss his personal interests and their relationship with the results of his studies and will suggest questions and discussions concerning decisions facing the people of New Mexico.
Kenneth G. Sexton, PhD, is a retired Research Assistant Professor from the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering of the University of North Carolina. Dr. Sexton's career has centered on studying the atmospheric chemistry of urban systems of nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons and on understanding the reactive chemistry producing ozone and other photochemical products, using smog chambers. In the last 12 years, he has focused on developing and demonstrating new technological systems to interface smog chambers and in-vitro toxicological exposure systems in order to evaluate the potential effects of pollutants on health.
Meet at 7.00 p.m. in Harlan Hall, second floor, Room 219, corner of Alabama and 12th Streets, on the Western New Mexico University campus. Free and open to the public. Refreshments following the program.
This will be the last indoor meeting of the Gila Native Plant Society for the summer. Regular monthly meetings will resume in the fall on the third Friday of each month through the winter and spring. Over the summer, don't miss our field trips on the third Sunday of each month. That program is underway - check our website at www.gilanps.org.
The Gila Native Plant Society is committed to promoting education, research and appreciation of the native flora of the Southwest, encouraging the preservation of rare and endangered plant species and supporting the use of suitable native plants in landscaping. For information on programs, publications and membership, please visit www.gilanps.org.