Professor Michael B. McElroy P’88 of Harvard University delivers the Milton Garden Club’s annual conservation lecture on Monday, February 7, in Milton Academy’s Straus Library. Open to the public, the 7 p.m. lecture, “Global Warming: Understanding the Challenge,” is co-sponsored by the Academy’s science department and student environmental groups, LORAX and C.A.R.E.

He began his research career as an atomic physicist, concentrating on the earth’s upper atmosphere. Since the mid-1970s, his emphasis has shifted to the effects of human activity on the integrity of the global environment. Dr. McElroy was appointed director of Harvard’s Center for the Environment in 2001 and now leads an interdisciplinary study on the implications of China’s development. Dr. McElroy also advises the Chinese government on sustainable development in the context of that country’s rapid industrialization.

Dr. McElroy’s research includes studies on the origin and evolution of the planets to a more recent emphasis on the effects of human activity on the global environment.