Eloy Rodriguez, the James A. Perkins Professor of Environmental Studies at Cornell University, has been named the fifth annual E.E. Just Lecturer by the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB).

An internationally noted specialist in the chemistry of medicinal plants, Rodriguez will deliver the 1998 Just Lecture on Dec. 13 at the ASCB annual meeting in San Francisco on the topic "Exploring Amazonian Biodiversity for Novel Cytotoxins and Immunodulators."

Rodriguez will discuss the discovery of new natural products from Amazonian plants, fungi, ants and bird preen secretions that inhibit tumor cell growth and stimulate the immune system against infectious diseases. "By studying plant-insect interactions, self-medication in animals and the use of medicinal plants by Amazonian Indians," he says, "we have uncovered allelochemicals that are good for human health."

The E.E. Just Lecture recognizes a distinguished minority scientist and is named for the early 20th century zoologist Ernest Everest Just. Previous awardees have been Franklyn Prendergast, Baldomero Olivera, James Gavin III and George Langford.

A member of the Cornell faculty since 1994, Rodriguez earned a Ph.D. from University of Texas, Austin, and currently is exploring biodiverse organisms of the Amazonas of Venezuela and the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest of Uganda for novel medicines. He also has developed numerous science programs for schools with a focus on minority students.