Last MSE seminar today! on “Religion, Race and the Microbe: Theological Analysis of Public Health Resistance in the Pandemicine” by Dr. Aminah Al-Attas Bradford

You can find up to date details on the event page for all the talks in this series.

Spring 2023; January 18 – May, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.

Presented over Zoom. Registration is free!

Hosting Organizations: MSE and the University of Maine Institute of Medicine.


The environment, microbes, and us

Anthropology Theme organized by Katherine Daiy and Kieran O’Doherty, and Environmental Theme organized by Mallory Choudoir, Mustafa Saifuddin, and Hannah Holland-Moritz.

“Religion, Race and the Microbe: Theological Analysis of Public Health Resistance in the Pandemicine”

Dr. Aminah Al-Attas Bradford, PhD.

May 3, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. This event has passed, watch the recording here.

Dr. Bradford is a research scholar in NC State’s Public Science Lab for Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity of Humans and Food where she draws together interdisciplinary engagement of microbes, exploring fermentation, probiotic health and pathogens. Dr. Bradford is also a college Chaplain at Salem Women’s College, and Director of the Center for Contemporary Practice and Wellbeing. Working at the intersections of religion, microbiology, ecology and race, Dr. Bradford’s research investigates the historical entanglement of disease theories, public health strategy, Christian thought, and coloniality to cultivate ecological wisdom, scientific engagement and the pursuit of environmental justice in religious contexts. She asks questions like, how have the historical entanglement of epidemiology, coloniality and Christian teaching contributed to the disease of both body and planet, the disproportionate effects of which are born by black and brown communities? How has demonizing the microbe paved the way for oppression of those deemed sub-human? And how might microbiome science reform Christian thought that often disrupts engagement of science and is complicit in exploitative and exclusionary ways of being?


Logo designed by Alex Guillen

Last MSE seminar this Wednesday on “Religion, Race and the Microbe: Theological Analysis of Public Health Resistance in the Pandemicine” by Dr. Aminah Al-Attas Bradford

You can find up to date details on the event page for all the talks in this series.

Spring 2023; January 18 – May, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.

Presented over Zoom.

Hosting Organizations: MSE and the University of Maine Institute of Medicine.


The environment, microbes, and us

Anthropology Theme organized by Katherine Daiy and Kieran O’Doherty, and Environmental Theme organized by Mallory Choudoir, Mustafa Saifuddin, and Hannah Holland-Moritz.

“Religion, Race and the Microbe: Theological Analysis of Public Health Resistance in the Pandemicine”

Dr. Aminah Al-Attas Bradford, PhD.

May 3, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. This event has passed, watch the recording here.

Dr. Bradford is a research scholar in NC State’s Public Science Lab for Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity of Humans and Food where she draws together interdisciplinary engagement of microbes, exploring fermentation, probiotic health and pathogens. Dr. Bradford is also a college Chaplain at Salem Women’s College, and Director of the Center for Contemporary Practice and Wellbeing. Working at the intersections of religion, microbiology, ecology and race, Dr. Bradford’s research investigates the historical entanglement of disease theories, public health strategy, Christian thought, and coloniality to cultivate ecological wisdom, scientific engagement and the pursuit of environmental justice in religious contexts. She asks questions like, how have the historical entanglement of epidemiology, coloniality and Christian teaching contributed to the disease of both body and planet, the disproportionate effects of which are born by black and brown communities? How has demonizing the microbe paved the way for oppression of those deemed sub-human? And how might microbiome science reform Christian thought that often disrupts engagement of science and is complicit in exploitative and exclusionary ways of being?


Logo designed by Alex Guillen

MSE seminar today is a panel discussion on soil microbiomes and conservation, featuring speakers from “The environment, microbes, and us” theme

You can find up to date details on the event page for all the talks in this series.

Spring 2023; January 18 – May 3, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.

Presented over Zoom. Registration is free!

You can register for any or all of the events from the same link here.

Hosting Organizations: MSE and the University of Maine Institute of Medicine.


Anthropology Theme organized by Katherine Daiy and Kieran O’Doherty, and Environmental Theme organized by Mallory Choudoir, Mustafa Saifuddin, and Hannah Holland-Moritz.

Panel Discussion on the Soil and Microbial Conservation

April 26, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. This event has passed and was not recorded.

This week, we’ll be bringing some speakers back to engage in a panel discussion together on the importance of environmental microbiomes and specifically on soil conservation.

Panel will be hosted by Mallory Choudoir, Mustafa Saifuddin, and Hannah Holland-Moritz.

Please note, this session will only be featured live in real-time and will not be recorded.


Logo designed by Alex Guillen

MSE seminar this Wednesday is a panel discussion on soil microbiomes and conservation, featuring speakers from “The environment, microbes, and us” theme

You can find up to date details on the event page for all the talks in this series.

Spring 2023; January 18 – May 3, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.

Presented over Zoom. Registration is free!

You can register for any or all of the events from the same link here.

Hosting Organizations: MSE and the University of Maine Institute of Medicine.


Anthropology Theme organized by Katherine Daiy and Kieran O’Doherty, and Environmental Theme organized by Mallory Choudoir, Mustafa Saifuddin, and Hannah Holland-Moritz.

Panel Discussion on the Soil and Microbial Conservation

April 26, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. This event has passed and was not recorded.

This week, we’ll be bringing some speakers back to engage in a panel discussion together on the importance of environmental microbiomes and specifically on soil conservation.

Panel will be hosted by Mallory Choudoir, Mustafa Saifuddin, and Hannah Holland-Moritz.

Please note, this session will only be featured live in real-time and will not be recorded.


Logo designed by Alex Guillen

MSE seminar today on “Soil health – towards a ‘microbial agriculture’?” by Dr. Anna Krzywoszynska, PhD. and Paula Palanco Lopez

You can find up to date details on the event page for all the talks in this series.

Spring 2023; January 18 – May, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.

Presented over Zoom. Registration is free!

You can register for any or all of the events from the same link here.

Hosting Organizations: MSE and the University of Maine Institute of Medicine.


The environment, microbes, and us

Anthropology Theme organized by Katherine Daiy and Kieran O’Doherty, and Environmental Theme organized by Mallory Choudoir, Mustafa Saifuddin, and Hannah Holland-Moritz.

Soil health – towards a ‘microbial agriculture’?

Dr. Anna Krzywoszynska, PhD. and Paula Palanco Lopez

April 19, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.  This event has passed, watch the recording here.

Abstract: Soils have long been considered primarily through a physico-chemical lens in agriculture and environmental management. Today, however, we are observing a shift towards ecological perspectives, and a growing interest from managing soil quality to managing soil health. What does it mean, however, to know and manage soils as living microbial ecosystems, and what are the consequences of a ‘soil health’ paradigm for the future of agriculture? In this presentation, Dr Krzywoszynska will reflect on the relevance of microbial knowledges and ethics in the emerging regenerative agriculture movement, and in biodiversity governance, while her PhD student Paula Palanco Lopez will reflect on the importance of understanding ‘soil health’ in its own terms, beyond anthropocentric and utilitarian framings.

Dr. Anna Krzywoszynska

Dr. Anna Krzywoszynska is an Associate Professor in Anthropology at the University of Oulu, and a research leader in the Biodiverse Anthropocenes programme (Anna Krzywoszynska | University of Oulu). She is an interdisciplinary environmental social scientist with expertise in agricultural and environmental knowledge, more-than-human research, and public participation in science. Her current research interests include human-soil relations and knowledge systems, the co-production of soil knowledge between science and society, and the role of local food systems in achieving socio-environmental justice.

Paula Palanco

Paula Palanco is a medical anthropologist with a background in Development Studies and Communication. She has completed an Advanced Masters in Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies in KULeuven (Belgium) and worked for the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), the University of Oxford, and Imperial College London. Paula has carried out research in different topics such as antimicrobial resistance (AMR), air monitoring and cholera epidemics. Currently, she is a PhD candidate in the University of Oulu (Finland), researching the connection between the loss of soil biodiversity and AMR.

Soils have long been considered primarily through a physico-chemical lens in agriculture and environmental management. Today, however, we are observing a shift towards ecological perspectives, and a growing interest from managing soil quality to managing soil health. What does it mean, however, to know and manage soils as living microbial ecosystems, and what are the consequences of a ‘soil health’ paradigm for the future of agriculture? In this presentation, Dr Krzywoszynska will reflect on the relevance of microbial knowledges and ethics in the emerging regenerative agriculture movement, and in biodiversity governance, while her PhD student Paula Palanco Lopez will reflect on the importance of understanding ‘soil health’ in its own terms, beyond anthropocentric and utilitarian framings.

Panel Discussions on the environment, microbes, and us

April 26, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

May 3, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 1:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

These two weeks, we’ll be bringing some of our Theme 3 speakers back to engage in a panel discussion together on the importance of environmental microbiomes and our place in ecosystems, and then will continue talking about soil health. Panel will be hosted by Katherine Daiy, Kieran O’Doherty, Mallory Choudoir, Mustafa Saifuddin, and Hannah Holland-Moritz.

Please note, this session will only be featured live in real-time and will not be recorded.


Logo designed by Alex Guillen

MSE seminar this Wednesday on “Soil health – towards a ‘microbial agriculture’?” by Dr. Anna Krzywoszynska, PhD. and Paula Palanco Lopez

You can find up to date details on the event page for all the talks in this series.

Spring 2023; January 18 – May, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.

Presented over Zoom. Registration is free!

You can register for any or all of the events from the same link here.

Hosting Organizations: MSE and the University of Maine Institute of Medicine.


The environment, microbes, and us

Anthropology Theme organized by Katherine Daiy and Kieran O’Doherty, and Environmental Theme organized by Mallory Choudoir, Mustafa Saifuddin, and Hannah Holland-Moritz.

Soil health – towards a ‘microbial agriculture’?

Dr. Anna Krzywoszynska, PhD. and Paula Palanco Lopez

April 19, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.  This event has passed, watch the recording here.

Abstract: Soils have long been considered primarily through a physico-chemical lens in agriculture and environmental management. Today, however, we are observing a shift towards ecological perspectives, and a growing interest from managing soil quality to managing soil health. What does it mean, however, to know and manage soils as living microbial ecosystems, and what are the consequences of a ‘soil health’ paradigm for the future of agriculture? In this presentation, Dr Krzywoszynska will reflect on the relevance of microbial knowledges and ethics in the emerging regenerative agriculture movement, and in biodiversity governance, while her PhD student Paula Palanco Lopez will reflect on the importance of understanding ‘soil health’ in its own terms, beyond anthropocentric and utilitarian framings.

Dr. Anna Krzywoszynska

Dr. Anna Krzywoszynska is an Associate Professor in Anthropology at the University of Oulu, and a research leader in the Biodiverse Anthropocenes programme (Anna Krzywoszynska | University of Oulu). She is an interdisciplinary environmental social scientist with expertise in agricultural and environmental knowledge, more-than-human research, and public participation in science. Her current research interests include human-soil relations and knowledge systems, the co-production of soil knowledge between science and society, and the role of local food systems in achieving socio-environmental justice.

Paula Palanco

Paula Palanco is a medical anthropologist with a background in Development Studies and Communication. She has completed an Advanced Masters in Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies in KULeuven (Belgium) and worked for the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), the University of Oxford, and Imperial College London. Paula has carried out research in different topics such as antimicrobial resistance (AMR), air monitoring and cholera epidemics. Currently, she is a PhD candidate in the University of Oulu (Finland), researching the connection between the loss of soil biodiversity and AMR.

Soils have long been considered primarily through a physico-chemical lens in agriculture and environmental management. Today, however, we are observing a shift towards ecological perspectives, and a growing interest from managing soil quality to managing soil health. What does it mean, however, to know and manage soils as living microbial ecosystems, and what are the consequences of a ‘soil health’ paradigm for the future of agriculture? In this presentation, Dr Krzywoszynska will reflect on the relevance of microbial knowledges and ethics in the emerging regenerative agriculture movement, and in biodiversity governance, while her PhD student Paula Palanco Lopez will reflect on the importance of understanding ‘soil health’ in its own terms, beyond anthropocentric and utilitarian framings.

Panel Discussions on the environment, microbes, and us

April 26, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

May 3, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 1:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

These two weeks, we’ll be bringing some of our Theme 3 speakers back to engage in a panel discussion together on the importance of environmental microbiomes and our place in ecosystems, and then will continue talking about soil health. Panel will be hosted by Katherine Daiy, Kieran O’Doherty, Mallory Choudoir, Mustafa Saifuddin, and Hannah Holland-Moritz.

Please note, this session will only be featured live in real-time and will not be recorded.


Logo designed by Alex Guillen

MSE seminar today on “Anthropology, Microbiomes, and Antimicrobial Resistance” by Dr. Cecil Lewis

You can find up to date details on the event page for all the talks in this series.

Spring 2023; January 18 – May, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.

Presented over Zoom. Registration is free!

You can register for any or all of the events from the same link here.

Hosting Organizations: MSE and the University of Maine Institute of Medicine.


The environment, microbes, and us

Anthropology Theme organized by Katherine Daiy and Kieran O’Doherty, and Environmental Theme organized by Mallory Choudoir, Mustafa Saifuddin, and Hannah Holland-Moritz.

“Anthropology, Microbiomes, and Antimicrobial Resistance”

Dr. Cecil Lewis, PhD.

April 12, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. This event has passed, watch the recording here.

Dr. Cecil Lewis is a Professor and biological and interdiscplinary scientist based at the University of Oklahoma. His primary research focus is the microbiome and community-engaged research, with current work that investigates ancient and contemporary human metabolomes, pathogen evolution, the impact of colonialism on the microbiome and metabolome, along with progressive community-based partnerships across the Americas and Africa. His work is supported by the NSF and NIH. He is the founder and director of Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research (LMAMR).

Image sourced from: https://cecilmlewis.com/

Upcoming seminars on The Environment, microbes, and us

Soil health – towards a ‘microbial agriculture’?

Dr. Anna Krzywoszynska, PhD. and Paula Palanco Lopez

April 19, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

Panel Discussions on the environment, microbes, and us

April 26, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

May 3, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 1:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

This week, we’ll be bringing all of our Theme 3 speakers back to engage in a panel discussion together on the importance of environmental microbiomes and our place in ecosystems, and then will continue talking about soil health. Panel will be hosted by Katherine Daiy, Kieran O’Doherty, Mallory Choudoir, Mustafa Saifuddin, and Hannah Holland-Moritz.

Please note, this session will only be featured live in real-time and will not be recorded.


Logo designed by Alex Guillen

MSE seminar this Wednesday on “Anthropology, Microbiomes, and Antimicrobial Resistance” by Dr. Cecil Lewis

You can find up to date details on the event page for all the talks in this series.

Spring 2023; January 18 – May, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.

Presented over Zoom. Registration is free!

You can register for any or all of the events from the same link here.

Hosting Organizations: MSE and the University of Maine Institute of Medicine.


The environment, microbes, and us

Anthropology Theme organized by Katherine Daiy and Kieran O’Doherty, and Environmental Theme organized by Mallory Choudoir, Mustafa Saifuddin, and Hannah Holland-Moritz.

“Anthropology, Microbiomes, and Antimicrobial Resistance”

Dr. Cecil Lewis, PhD.

April 12, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. This event has passed, watch the recording here.

Dr. Cecil Lewis is a Professor and biological and interdiscplinary scientist based at the University of Oklahoma. His primary research focus is the microbiome and community-engaged research, with current work that investigates ancient and contemporary human metabolomes, pathogen evolution, the impact of colonialism on the microbiome and metabolome, along with progressive community-based partnerships across the Americas and Africa. His work is supported by the NSF and NIH. He is the founder and director of Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research (LMAMR).

Image sourced from: https://cecilmlewis.com/

Upcoming seminars on The Environment, microbes, and us

Soil health – towards a ‘microbial agriculture’?

Dr. Anna Krzywoszynska, PhD. and Paula Palanco Lopez

April 19, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

Panel Discussions on the environment, microbes, and us

April 26, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

May 3, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 1:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

This week, we’ll be bringing all of our Theme 3 speakers back to engage in a panel discussion together on the importance of environmental microbiomes and our place in ecosystems, and then will continue talking about soil health. Panel will be hosted by Katherine Daiy, Kieran O’Doherty, Mallory Choudoir, Mustafa Saifuddin, and Hannah Holland-Moritz.

Please note, this session will only be featured live in real-time and will not be recorded.


Logo designed by Alex Guillen

MSE seminar today on “The human-valued interest in microbiome science is the distillation of human-environmental interactions” by Dr. Stephanie Schnorr

You can find up to date details on the event page for all the talks in this series.

Spring 2023; January 18 – May, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.

Presented over Zoom. Registration is free!

You can register for any or all of the events from the same link here.

Hosting Organizations: MSE and the University of Maine Institute of Medicine.


The environment, microbes, and us

Anthropology Theme organized by Katherine Daiy and Kieran O’Doherty, and Environmental Theme organized by Mallory Choudoir, Mustafa Saifuddin, and Hannah Holland-Moritz.

“The human-valued interest in microbiome science is the distillation of human-environmental interactions”

Dr. Stephanie Schnorr, PhD.

April 5, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. This event has passed, watch the recording here.

Dr. Schnorr is a PostDoctorial Researcher at the University of Vienna.

I am formally trained as a biological anthropologist and human biologist, and pursued research on the topics of human diet in human evolutionary ecology. I studied in particular the capacity for digesting plant material from wild foods, and how this is facilitated by both technology and the gut microbiome, as an auxiliary adaptative mechanisms in human health. I studied also ancient microbiomes from coprolite material, and microbial mutualisms in arthropod and environmental contexts. Extending from my interest in brain growth and nutrition acquisition traits among humans, I picked up the inquiry on environmental provisioning of essential lipids from microbiomes. I transitioned to microbial ecology in pursuit of answers to help reconcile the apparent discontinuity between supply and demand of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in terrestrial ecosystems, driven by prior experience working in human evolutionary theory, and by present perspectives of ecological networks.

Image sourced from: https://dome.csb.univie.ac.at/

Upcoming seminars on The Environment, microbes, and us

“Anthropology, Microbiomes, and Antimicrobial Resistance”

Dr. Cecil Lewis, PhD. April 12, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

Soil health – towards a ‘microbial agriculture’?

Dr. Anna Krzywoszynska, PhD. and Paula Palanco Lopez. April 19, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

Panel Discussions on the environment, microbes, and us

April 26, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

May 3, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 1:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

These two weeks, we’ll be bringing some of our Theme 3 speakers back to engage in a panel discussion together on the importance of environmental microbiomes and our place in ecosystems, and then will continue talking about soil health. Panel will be hosted by Katherine Daiy, Kieran O’Doherty, Mallory Choudoir, Mustafa Saifuddin, and Hannah Holland-Moritz.

Please note, this session will only be featured live in real-time and will not be recorded.


Logo designed by Alex Guillen

MSE seminar this Wednesday on “The human-valued interest in microbiome science is the distillation of human-environmental interactions” by Dr. Stephanie Schnorr

You can find up to date details on the event page for all the talks in this series.

Spring 2023; January 18 – May, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST.

Presented over Zoom. Registration is free!

You can register for any or all of the events from the same link here.

Hosting Organizations: MSE and the University of Maine Institute of Medicine.


The environment, microbes, and us

Anthropology Theme organized by Katherine Daiy and Kieran O’Doherty, and Environmental Theme organized by Mallory Choudoir, Mustafa Saifuddin, and Hannah Holland-Moritz.

“The human-valued interest in microbiome science is the distillation of human-environmental interactions”

Dr. Stephanie Schnorr, PhD.

April 5, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. This event has passed, watch the recording here.

Dr. Schnorr is a PostDoctorial Researcher at the University of Vienna.

I am formally trained as a biological anthropologist and human biologist, and pursued research on the topics of human diet in human evolutionary ecology. I studied in particular the capacity for digesting plant material from wild foods, and how this is facilitated by both technology and the gut microbiome, as an auxiliary adaptative mechanisms in human health. I studied also ancient microbiomes from coprolite material, and microbial mutualisms in arthropod and environmental contexts. Extending from my interest in brain growth and nutrition acquisition traits among humans, I picked up the inquiry on environmental provisioning of essential lipids from microbiomes. I transitioned to microbial ecology in pursuit of answers to help reconcile the apparent discontinuity between supply and demand of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in terrestrial ecosystems, driven by prior experience working in human evolutionary theory, and by present perspectives of ecological networks.

Image sourced from: https://dome.csb.univie.ac.at/

Upcoming seminars on The Environment, microbes, and us

“Anthropology, Microbiomes, and Antimicrobial Resistance”

Dr. Cecil Lewis, PhD. April 12, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

Soil health – towards a ‘microbial agriculture’?

Dr. Anna Krzywoszynska, PhD. and Paula Palanco Lopez. April 19, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

Panel Discussions on the environment, microbes, and us

April 26, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

May 3, 2023; Wednesday,11:00 AM – 1:00 PM EST. Register for the Zoom link here.

These two weeks, we’ll be bringing some of our Theme 3 speakers back to engage in a panel discussion together on the importance of environmental microbiomes and our place in ecosystems, and then will continue talking about soil health. Panel will be hosted by Katherine Daiy, Kieran O’Doherty, Mallory Choudoir, Mustafa Saifuddin, and Hannah Holland-Moritz.

Please note, this session will only be featured live in real-time and will not be recorded.


Logo designed by Alex Guillen