UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Colleen Reid, assistant professor of geography at the University of Colorado, Boulder, will discuss how to better assess population exposure to wildfire smoke, how it impacts human health, and which communities are more affected by wildfire smoke during a Penn State Department of Geography Coffee Hour talk. Her talk will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17, in 112 Walker Building on the University Park campus and via Zoom.

Wildfires have been increasing in frequency and duration in the western U.S. and the wildfire season has been increasing in length — so such so that many regions now claim that there is no wildfire season anymore. Instead, wildfires have become a year-round threat. Smoke from wildfires impacts the health of populations downwind. Studies have shown that fine particulate air pollution is decreasing in most areas of the United States, except for areas most affected by wildfires. Reid will discuss her research into the complexities of wildfire smoke and human health.

Reid is a health geographer and environmental epidemiologist whose research focuses on how environmental and social exposures interact to influence health with a particular focus on exposures caused by global climatic changes and society’s responses to those changes. She earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Brown University and her doctorate in environmental health sciences from University of California, Berkeley.

Reid’s talk is part of the spring 2023 "Coffee Hour" seminar series hosted by Penn State’s Department of Geography. To learn more and access the Zoom information, visit the Coffee Hour event webpage.