Thanks so much for the great summary of Michael Pollan's talk "In Defense of Food" ("Eating Disorder," Elms, March/April). This was a truly wonderful event, the first major lecture in what we hope will be a continuing series of public events on Science in Social Context, developed and sponsored by the Faculty Committee on Science and Technology Studies.

Pollan's visit included lunch with student food activists (they cooked lunch for him using ingredients they had grown themselves) and meetings with Rhode Island farmers. This wonderful mix of students, faculty, farmers, and even chefs is dedicated to developing a healthier food supply that is local and uses fewer resources to bring fresher ingredients to our tables.

The Committee on Science and Technology Studies sponsors an undergraduate concentration, Science and Society, in which majors explore the complex associations of laboratory and field science, as well as the social structures that support and shape the development of advanced scientific and technological knowledge. Alums interested in learning more about our fledgling program should feel free to contact me.

Anne Fausto-Sterling
Campus
anne_fausto-sterling@brown.edu

The writer is a professor of biology and women's studies, as well as chair of the Faculty Committee on Science and Technology Studies.