Science Cafe Orlando

In the early 1860’s the citizens of London, England were frightened. People were dying from toxic “vapors.” Many thought these vapors emanated from the cemetery. Dr. John Snow decided to look at this problem differently: He took a map of London and placed a mark on it where people had died; there was a cluster around a particular public well. He had the handle removed from the pump at this well and deaths from these “vapors” ended, almost overnight. He had stopped the source of Cholera. This event marks the beginning of modern Medical Geography. Medical Geography is the science of understanding the spatial distribution of health and disease.

Dr. Russ Butler is a full professor, director of research, and runs the Multi-scale Health Sciences Research Lab at the Adventist University of Health Sciences off of Orange Ave, in Orlando, Florida. Research in this lab focuses on understanding spatial patterns of phenomena related to human-health and well-being. Current research is analyzing distributions of contaminants and substances in drinking water in a central Florida community as well as elucidating environmental factors influencing obesity. He has instructed multiple biology courses from general biology, biochemistry, and genetics to technical and computer applications in environmental sciences. Additionally, he researches educational methods for science teaching in higher education and has scholarly interest in the discussion between science and religion. He has multiple single-author publications and has given dozens of professional presentations.