Cons Sci Seminar - 10/16/26

October 16, 2026

12:00-1:00pm

In person (preferred): 335 Borlaug Hall, St. Paul Campus

Remote: https://umn.zoom.us/j/91715591077

Stressors Meet: Climate, Pollutants, and Disease in a Changing World

Dr. Jessica Hua

Professor, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Abstract

Climate change, pollutants, and infectious diseases rarely act in isolation. When do their interactions increase vulnerability, and when might they provide protection? Using an amphibian-freshwater system, this talk will share four short vignettes: (1) Changing winters: How do early life temperatures shape later responses to pollutants? (2) Nutrient recycling: How do pollutants and disease interact to alter consumer-mediated nutrient cycling? (3) Wildlife vaccines: How can evolving anti-microbial resistance to antibiotics affect disease management? (4) Visual storytelling for conservation: How does storytelling shape science learning and perceptions? Together, these vignettes connect ecological and evolutionary questions with how we communicate their implications for conservation.

Biosketch

I am a Professor in the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. I earned my bachelor’s degree in biology and kinesiology at Southwestern University and my PhD in ecology and evolution at the University of Pittsburgh, then completed postdoctoral research in disease ecology at Purdue University. I was an assistant and associate professor at Binghamton University, where I directed the Center for Watershed Studies, before moving my lab to UW–Madison in 2022.