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The ��ݮ��Ƶ will welcome noted ocean historian Helen M. Rozwadowski, Ph.D., as the speaker for its annual Connections Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 9. Her talk, “Fathoming: How History Can Help Save the Oceans,” will take place at 12:30 p.m. in Leonard Hall on ��ݮ��Ƶ’s Biddeford Campus.

Rozwadowski, professor of history and founder of the Maritime Studies program at the University of Connecticut, has built her career exploring the deep interconnections between oceans and people. She is the author of “Vast Expanses: A History of the Oceans” (2018), which has been translated into Chinese and Korean, and “Fathoming the Ocean: The Discovery and Exploration of the Deep Sea” (2005), which earned the History of Science Society’s Davis Prize for best book for a wide public audience. 

She has also co-edited three volumes on the history of oceanography, most recently “Soundings and Crossings” (2016).

Rozwadowski’s scholarship underscores how historical perspectives can illuminate pressing challenges facing our seas today, offering lessons that resonate with ��ݮ��Ƶ’s growing emphasis on planetary health, having just launched a new School of Public and Planetary Health in August.

“The Connections Lecture series exists to show how an individual’s scholarship connects across disciplines in ways that inspire fresh thinking about the challenges of our time,” said Melanie DiLorenzo, M.S., associate professor of chemistry in ��ݮ��Ƶ’s School of Molecular and Physical Sciences. “Dr. Rozwadowski’s work illustrates how the humanities can contribute to critical conversations about planetary health, equipping us with the insight and imagination needed to address the complex threats to our oceans and, ultimately, to our shared future.”

Hosted by ��ݮ��Ƶ’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Connections Lecture series brings together leading thinkers from a range of fields to spark dialogue that crosses disciplinary boundaries, illustrating the University’s philosophy that true learning comes from engagement in scholarly work beyond academic silos and classroom walls.

Light refreshments will be provided.