Bowdoin College is sponsoring a three-day workshop from August 4 - 6, 2011 at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, preceded by a one-day short course, focused on the linkages between marine and freshwater cyanobacterial blooms, toxicity, and human health impacts.

The goal of this workshop is to bring together specialists in medicine, neurology, toxicology, epidemiology, ecology, oceanography and limnology from medical, academic, research, federal, state and tribal institutions to present and discuss the current state of understanding at the crossroads of these diverse fields as they relate to Cyanobacterial Blooms and Human Health.

The objectives of this workshop are three-fold:

• Provide a synthesis of current understanding within each field of the cyanobacteria and human health connections;
• Generate synergistic collaborations between experts from diverse fields to develop strategies for epidemiological investigations within the context of environmental monitoring of compounds and organisms having potentially harmful consequences to human health;
• Identify successes and future challenges for the merging fields, particularly within the context of environmental change and increasing global populations.

Workshop Structure

The workshop will consist of invited plenary lectures in four topical sessions, short invited talks aimed to introduce topics for panel discussion, and contributed posters in all relevant areas.

Short Course

With the goal of education and cross-fertilization, a one-day short course will be held Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at Bowdoin College. The course will be taught by four instructors, focused on the topics of the four plenary sessions. The lecturers will provide upper level undergraduate, graduate and non-specialists with the background and vocabulary necessary to participate more proactively in the workshop.

For Information and Registration

http://www.bowdoin.edu/earth-oceanographic-science/workshops/index.shtml