Clay Henderson, executive director of Stetson’s newly established Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience, will be the featured speaker at the Thursday, Feb. 25, Science Café at Stetson University’s Gillespie Museum, 7 – 8:30 p.m. The institute, a first of its kind at Stetson, will focus on water and environmental research in order to offer policy options to protect fresh water springs and other natural resources for Central Florida and beyond.

Henderson will discuss some of the major water and environmental issues facing this region, and how Stetson faculty and students are engaging with research to inform policy options to tackle these complex problems. “The institute will help bring together faculty and student research in collaboration with community partners to look at big picture issues affecting our environment,” explains Henderson, a 1977 Stetson graduate. “It will include all Stetson colleges and campuses and be truly interdisciplinary.”

The Gillespie Museum’s monthly Science Café promotes scientific literacy by encouraging relaxed, open conversations among scientists and nonscientists of all ages. “During these evenings, we take full advantage of the warmth and charm of the Gillespie Museum, offering light refreshments, informal seating, and an evening of thoughtful conversation,” says museum director, Karen Cole.

This event is free and open to the public, and offers cultural credit for Stetson undergraduates. The Gillespie Museum is located at 234 East Michigan Avenue, DeLand. For more information about this and other science programming, visit the Museum’s website (www2.stetson.edu/other/gillespie) or call or e-mail (386.822.7330; [email protected] ).