"Carcinogens in the Environment: Separating Fact from Fiction"

10:00a.m. Anderson Auditorium (C101)

Dr. James Gentile is the recently-appointed president of Research Corporation, one of the nation's leading private foundations for the development of scientific research at colleges and universities. Dr. Gentile is an internationally-recognized scientist in the area of chemical mutagenesis and DNA damage processing. Among his many research projects, Dr. Gentile has studied how certain chemicals, such as pollutants and agrochemicals, can react with plants in ways that are harmful to the humans who might later eat them. Prior to his appointment, Dr. Gentile served as the Dean for the Natural Sciences and the Kenneth G. Herrick Professor of Biology at Hope College, in Holland, Michigan. Dr. Gentile has served as a panelist, consultant, advisor or board member for a wide variety of scientific, educational and government organizations, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Advisory Board and the World Health Organization Advisory Group. Dr. Gentile received his bachelor's degree in biology/chemistry from St. Mary's University (Winona, MN), and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Illinois State University in 1970 and 1974. In 1976, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Human Genetics at Yale University's School of Medicine. He has authored and co-authored 160 scientific publications and serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Mutation Research. Dr. Gentile has received numerous honors and awards, including the Environmental Mutagen Society's Alexander Hollaender Award, which recognizes research excellence and outstanding contributions in educating students, and he has been named a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science.