Dr. John Robertson, assistant professor of biology at Westminster College, continues the Biology Department's Sesquicentennial Seminar Thursday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m. in Phillips Lecture Hall of the Hoyt Science Resources Center.

Robertson's presentation "Hagfish!" focuses on the relationship between humans and nature.

"About the time of Westminster College's founding, the Royal Danish Academy of Letters and Sciences established a monetary prize to be awarded to any investigator revealing the details of the reproductive biology and sex life of the Atlantic hagfish," said Robertson. "Despite ongoing interest in the hagfish, that century and a half year-old prize remains unclaimed to this day. The example of the hagfish can illuminate some aspects of the history on 150 years of scientific interest, primarily from the perspective of comparative physiology."

Robertson, who has been with Westminster College since 2000, earned his undergraduate from the University of Massachusetts, his master's from the University of Rhode Island, and his Ph.D. from Arizona State University.

"In conjunction with celebrating Westminster Sesquicentennial birthday, this seminar series is intended to highlight important advances in the field of biology over the last 150 years," said Dr. Ann Throckmorton, associate professor and chair of biology.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Robertson at (724) 946-7044 or e-mail robertjc@westminster.edu.