[Mt-blind] Dr. Geerat Vermeij public lecture

[Beth Underwood]

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Dear Montana Association for the Blind members,

Below is an announcement of a public lecture offered through the 
University of Montana featuring Dr. Geerat Vermeij. The NFB, through the 
Jernigan Institute and National Center for Blind Youth in Science, is 
striving to provide opportunities in STEM (science, ** technology** 
**engineering, **and math) education for the nation's blind youth. Dr. 
Vermeij's lecture is a wonderful opportunity to inspire educators, 
students, and professionals in the field of science, and to demostrate 
to everyone the potential of blind youth who wish to pursue STEM 
careers. Please help get the word out.

Beth Underwood

UM LECTURE EXAMINES LINKS
BETWEEN HISTORY OF LIFE, HUMANITY

MISSOULA —

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Geerat Vermeij, a professor of marine ecology and paleoecology at the 
University of California in Davis, will present a lecture titled "Why We 
Study Nature: What Shells Tell Us About Our Past and About Our Future" 
Thursday, June 22, at The University of Montana.

An expert on mollusks and their predators, Vermeij will discuss how 
shells reveal facts about the earth’s history, competition for resources 
and evolution at 7 p.m. in the University Theatre. A reception in the 
lobby will follow. Both events are free and open to the public.

Blind since early childhood, Vermeij has published more than 100 
scientific papers and several popular books. He is a fellow of the 
Academy of Sciences, a recipient of the MacArthur Award and was featured 
on "The Shape of Life," a PBS television series that examined the 
evolution of the animal kingdom.

The week before the lecture, Vermeij will spend time as a guest educator 
at Camp Eureka!, a natural history camp for children who are blind or 
have low vision offered through the Montana Conservation Science Institute.

As part of the Science within Society lecture series, Vermeij’s UM 
speech is sponsored by Montana’s National Science Foundation 
Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, as well as the 
University’s Division of Biological Sciences.