4/22/15 Science for the Public Spring 2015 Lecture Series. Emily Monosson, Ph.D., Toxicologist, Author, Adjunct Professor UMass-Amherst. All of life today is exposed to an unprecedented environmental challenge: the need to adapt quickly to hundreds of human-produced toxins. Extinctions are becoming commonplace, but some species manage to adapt. Although many of those survivor species are predominantly the “pest” types (monster weeds, mosquitoes, bedbugs, etc), toxicologist Emily Monosson suggests those organisms might be a source of valuable information.
Emily Monosson is an environmental toxicologist, writer, and consultant. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, author of Evolution in a Toxic World: How Life Responds to Chemical Threats, and editor of Motherhood: The Elephant in the Laboratory. A diversity of past research experience on the health and environmental impacts of contaminants, from nanoparticles to organochlorines and personal health care products, has laid the groundwork for Monosson?s current academic interest ? investigating the evolutionary history of the toxic response. Monosson is Associate Editor of The Encyclopedia of Earth. She publishes in academic journals and has contributed to publications including The Los Angeles Times and American Scientist. Her interest in increasing public awareness about the role of toxics in the environment and the importance of science education has led to her service on the Gill-Montague School Committee and on the board of the Montague Reporter, where she occasionally contributes as a writer.