St. John Speaking at Forum Following 'The Big Fix'

Burton St. John, assistant professor of communication and theatre arts at Old Dominion University, will be a featured speaker at Norfolk's Naro Theater Wednesday, July 25, at a forum immediately following the showing of "The Big Fix," a documentary film about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill two years ago in the Gulf of Mexico.

The 90-minute film will begin at 7:15 p.m. Attendees must pay the theater's regular admission charge.

The forum speakers will address the question, "How can concerned citizens lobby our elected Virginia politicians of both parties to promote wind power and renewable energy instead of their backing of Virginia offshore oil drilling?"

St. John is the lead investigator on a current research project funded by the ODU Office of Research titled "Virginia's Legislators' Knowledge, Awareness and Perceived Risks Concerning Sea Level Rise," which is being conducted in conjunction with ODU's Climate Change and Sea Level Rise Initiative.

Working with St. John on the project are two other ODU faculty members, Wie Yusuf, assistant professor of urban studies and public administration, and Ivan Ash, assistant professor of psychology.

"The Big Fix" proposes to expose the corruption behind the Deepwater Horizon spill. It is the work of Josh and Rebecca Tickell, who showed their film at this year Cannes Film Festival. Celebrities appearing in the film include Peter Fonda and Jean-Michel Cousteau.

Other speakers at the post-film forum will be Eileen Levandoski and Glen Besa of the Sierra Club's Virginia Chapter.