FARMINGTON — University of Maine at Farmington has announced that Dr. Helida Oyieke, a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence at University of New England, will present several talks on the UMF campus. Oyieke will speak on “Women in Development and Environment: African Perspectives” at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 17, in North Dining Hall in the UMF Olsen Student Center, with a reception immediately preceding her talk. In addition, she will speak on “Biodiversity: Kenya’s Rich Heritage and Its Conservation” at 11:45 a.m. Friday, March 18, also in North Dining Hall. Both events are free and open to the public.

An internationally-recognized expert in environmental studies and marine botany, Oyieke is currently director of research and scientific affairs at the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi, where she oversees research and collection programs for the institution. Over the years, she has mobilized multiple grants in the fields of taxonomy, ecology, biodiversity, conservation and collections management.

She started her career in 1984 at the Kenyan Marine and Fisheries Institute in Mombasa and joined the National Museums of Kenya in 1994. Throughout her career, she has directed multiple research programs within Kenya and has been involved with many international and governmental organizations associated with bio diversity conservation and global environmental policy.

Oyieke is a founding member of the Kenya Professional Association of Women in Agriculture and Environment — an organization that aims to promote links between women farmers and to support the next generation of women in the fields of agriculture and environment.