Dr. Christine Biermann to Speak on the American Chestnut on February 16 at Western

BELLINGHAM – Christine Biermann, Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of Washington, will discuss how human and non-human factors have shaped the American chestnut as part of the WWU Huxley College of the Environment Speaker Series at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 16 in Miller Hall 138 on the Western Washington University campus.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

In her Speaker Series talk titled, “Securing Forests from the Scourge of Blight: Nature, Nation, and the American Chestnut,” Christine Biermann will discuss how a range of human and non-human actors—from Appalachian farmers to rapidly-mutating viruses, and from biotech corporations to fungal pathogens—have shaped the American chestnut. Calling attention to the historical ties between nature and nation, she explores how blight control, breeding, and restoration efforts have been formulated in conversation with broader anxieties about the fate of the American nation in the wake of social, environmental, economic, and racial change.

Christine Biermann is an Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of Washington. She performs research on the politics of environmental conservation in the Anthropocene and is currently beginning a new project examining the use of genetic and genomic tools for native fish conservation in the American West.

The presentation will include a question-and-answer period. Anyone interested in the topic is encouraged to attend and participate.

The Huxley College Speaker Series, sponsored by Western’s Huxley College of the Environment, is intended to bring together environmentally-minded members of the WWU and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized leader in producing the next generation of environmental professionals and stewards. Huxley’s distinctive, interdisciplinary curriculum reflects a broad view of the physical, biological, social, and cultural world, and has earned international recognition for quality.

For more information, please contact WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment at (360) 650-2949.