WAUKESHA – Physiologist Kevin Strang will speak at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha in Northview Room 133 at noon Tuesday, November 27, on “Physiology of the World’s Second Most Popular Drug.”

A Visions & Expressions presentation sponsored by the Lectures & Fine Arts Committee, the lecture is free and open to the public. Parking in campus lots is free during the event. UW-Waukesha is located at 1500 N. University Dr., Waukesha.

Second only to caffeine, alcohol has been popular the world over for a very long time, and in modern times college students especially have found it alluring. Strang has studied the widespread pharmacological effects on the brain – and on the digestive, urinary, cardiovascular and endocrine systems – and the ratio of desirable effects to undesirable side effects. He notes that these can vary wildly both between individuals and even in the same individual under different circumstances. He will discuss the mechanisms underlying these effects and explain some of the commonly observed behaviors that accompany drinking alcohol, such as: Why do drunk people talk so loud? Why are beer and brats a great team? Does being light make you a “lightweight”? and Is taking an aspirin after drinking preventive medicine or the coup de grace? 

A lecturer for 13 years in the UW-Madison Medical School’s physiology department, Strang co-authored the nation’s best-selling college physiology text, Vander’s Human Physiology. He holds a BA from Augustana College (IL), which he earned summa cum laude, and an MS in zoology and Ph.D. in physiology from UW-Madison. He teaches undergraduate and medical physiology courses and serves on the steering committee of the Institute for Cross-college Biology Education. He has a special interest in the physiology of alcohol and has earned several awards for teaching excellence, among them the UW System’s Alliant Energy/Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Award and the Medical School Dean’s Teaching Award.

UW-Waukesha has the largest enrollment among the 13 freshman-sophomore University of Wisconsin Colleges campuses. For information about programs, admission, or financial aid, contact the Student Services office at (888) 2UW-WAUK (289-9285) or visit the Web at waukesha.uwc.edu.

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