Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the United States. An ISU professor will lecture Tuesday on whether it is preventable.

Diane Birt is the chairwoman of the department of food science and human nutrition and director of the Center for Research on Botanical Dietary Supplements. She will give the lecture “Is Cancer Preventable?” at 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.

According to the American Cancer Society, cancer accounts for one in every four deaths and claims the lives of more than half a million Americans annually. Birt’s talk will discuss the role of dieting as an aspect for preventing cancer. She will also discuss what people need to keep in mind to be effective in using dietary recommendations as a way to prevent cancer.

The lecture is a part of the Presidential University Lecture Series, which was created in 2003 to highlight faculty excellence in learning, discovery and engagement. Birt has been awarded federal grants for her diet and cancer prevention research, and was a former director of the Plant Science’s Institute’s Center for Designing Foods, according to ISU News Services.

She was selected to give the lecture by ISU President Gregory Geoffroy following a nomination procedure.

“Birt is a great speaker and noted authority. I think her topic is interesting and is appealing to a wide audience,” Geoffroy said.

— Tom Barton