KNOXVILLE — In 1984 the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh cult intentionally contaminated a salad bar in Oregon with Salmonella, resulting in 751 persons becoming ill.
Sharon Thompson, director of the Center for Agriculture and Food Security and Preparedness and professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, will speak at the UT Science Forum addressing “The Potential for Food Terrorism” on February 18 at noon in Thompson-Boling Arena Dining Room C-D. The program is free and open to the public; attendees are welcome to bring their lunches or purchase lunch at the Café at the Arena.
“Food terrorism is an intentional contamination of the food supply intended to inflict harm, public health or economic disruption and inspire fear,” Thompson said.
Thompson will discuss food terrorism on the local and international level.
“Prevention starts locally, but food terrorism issues are global,” Thompson said.
The UT Science Forum is a weekly event where academic, medical and research professionals share their knowledge and unique insights in their fields. Different science topics will be discussed with a question-and-answer session at the end of each 40-minute presentation.
The UT Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research. Upcoming presentations include:
Feb. 25: Jay Whelan, professor and head of the Nutrition Department, presents “Will Eating an Extra Serving of Broccoli Help Prostate Cancer?”
March 4: Kim DeLozier, supervisory wildlife biologist (retired) of the National Park Service, presents “Bears, Boars and Bulls — 32 Years of Wildlife Management in the Smokies.”
March 25: Alan Heilman, professor emeritus of botany, presents “Looking and Seeing — 60 Years of Photographing Plants.”
April 1: Tami H. Wyatt, associate professor of nursing, presents “Enginurse: A New Breed of Nurse and Engineer Scholar.”
April 8: Gary Pulsinelli, associate professor of law, presents “Muggles vs. Goblins: Who Should Own Creative Property?”
April 15: Dr. Mitchell H. Goldman, assistant dean for research; professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery in the UT Graduate School of Medicine, presents, “Research at UT’s Graduate School of Medicine.”
April 29: Kristina Gordon, associate professor of psychology, presents “Shattered Relationships: Understanding Betrayal and Forgiveness in Intimate Relationships.”
For questions about the UT Science Forum, contact Mark Littmann, littmann@utk.edu or 974-8156, or Mike Clark, clarkgmorph@utk.edu or 974-6006.
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C O N T A C T:
Whitney Holmes (865-974-5460, wholmes7@utk.edu)