Rita Colwell, a nationally recognized expert on infectious diseases and the first woman to serve as director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), will deliver a virtual lecture in February on the relationship between global climate and epidemics.

Colwell’s talk, “Climate, Oceans, and Human Health: What Cholera Can Teach Us About COVID-19,” is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 16, from 11 a.m. to noon. The Zoom link and other details are available on the event’s Coyote Connection post. The event was organized by the College of Natural Sciences and is open to the CSUSB community.

Colwell is currently the Distinguished University Professor both at the University of Maryland at College Park and at the John Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Colwell, in collaboration with a safe-water access nonprofit, developed an international network to address issues related to infectious diseases and safe drinking water.

As NSF director, she launched ADVANCE, a program to increase the representation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers.

“Rita Colwell is an exemplary scientist, a renowned educator, and an esteemed advocate for the increased participation of women and underrepresented groups in science,” said college Dean Sastry G. Pantula. “It is a tremendous honor to have her share her research with the CSUSB community and her impact on ADVANCE-ing women leadership in STEM.”

“Our goal is that her talk will inform us, inspire us, and showcase what a force for good science can play in the world,” he added.

From 1998 to 2004, Colwell served as the NSF director, including as co-chair of its Committee on Science of the National Science and Technology Council. NSF is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering.

During her six-year tenure as director, she oversaw a 68 percent increase in NSF’s budget, championed innovative science and engineering education programs, and increased funding devoted to advancing women in academic engineering and science careers.

Her major interests includes K-12 science and mathematics education, graduate science and engineering education, and increased participation of women and minorities in science and engineering. Colwell’s research is focused on global infectious diseases, water, and health, and has affected people across the globe, especially in regions where cholera and other waterborne diseases are prevalent.

Colwell is also the founder, president, and chair of CosmosID, a bioinformatics company that develops equipment to identify microbial activity in various ecosystems. Bioinformatics is the application of computer and information systems to obtain, store, and interpret large quantities of biological data.

“Rita Colwell has established an impressive career as an educator and researcher, bringing new scientific knowledge to the world,” Pantula said. “She is clearly an example of how a passion for science can fuel innovation and discovery.”

Colwell holds a B.S. in bacteriology and an M.S. in genetics from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in oceanography from the University of Washington. She is the recipient of the 2006 National Medal of Science of the United States and the 2010 Stockholm Water Prize. Colwell is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and has authored or co-authored more than 750 scientific publications.

She is also the author or co-author of 19 books, including last year’s “A Lab of One’s Own: One Woman’s Personal Journey Through Sexism in Science” with Sharon Bertsch McGrayne.

For any questions about the event, contact Yolanda Thomas in the College of Natural Sciences Office of the Dean at YThomas@csusb.edu.