Journalist to address agricultural biodiversity and food choices

Environmental journalist and author Preeti Simran Sethi will discuss how agricultural biodiversity preserves the foods we love during a lecture at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, in Schaible Auditorium at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Sethi’s talk, “Save by Savoring: How We Protect the Foods We Cherish,” is part of the Snedden Lecture Series organized by the UAF Department of Science and Environmental Journalism.

Sethi will discuss how food choices impact global biodiversity and sustainability.

Sethi is renowned for her work in the fields of mental health, psychedelics and biodiversity. As a Ferriss-Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellow and Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellow, her reporting has gained widespread recognition and has been featured in leading publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Smithsonian and Guernica.

Sethi hosts “The Slow Melt” podcast, recognized in 2017 by Saveur Magazine as the best food podcast. It examines the global chocolate industry, exploring its complexities from flavor and physiology to social justice and climate change.

The Snedden Lecture Series was established through the generosity of Helen Snedden in memory of her husband, Charles Willis “Bill” Snedden. Bill Snedden, a visionary journalist and former owner of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, was known for his dedication to storytelling and journalism education. The speaker series has featured numerous distinguished journalists, including 11 Pulitzer Prize winners.

The event is free and open to the public. It will also be available on Zoom. 

For more information about the Snedden Lecture Series and future events, visit the Department of Science and Environmental Journalism’s website.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Lynne Snifka, associate professor of journalism, lmsnifka@alaska.edu; Charles Mason, professor of journalism, cwmason@alaska.edu 

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