NECC Professor MIke Cross will be speaking about chocolate at Merrimack Public Library on Sat, Feb 8.

Do you have a sweet-tooth for chocolate but worry about its side effects? Northern Essex Community College Professor Michael Cross is here to ease your concerns.

Despite the potential side effects of over-indulging, chocolate consumption actually comes with a wide range of physical and mental health benefits, argues Cross, a self-proclaimed chocolate lover and a chemistry professor at Northern Essex Community College. He will explain all this and more during his upcoming lecture “Chocolate: the Secret Indulgence,” which will be offered Saturday, Feb 8 at 11 am at the Merrimac Public Library, 86 West Main St, Merrimac, MA . Learn about how chocolate can be seen as the perfect treat and discover the various ways it affects the human brain. Chocolate samples will be included!

The presentation is free and open to the public.

Cross holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Utah, where he specialized in oxidative lesions in DNA and RNA. He teaches courses in chemistry and forensic science at NECC. Prior to joining the NECC faculty, Cross was an instructor of chemistry at the College of Eastern Utah.

“Chocolate: the Secret Indulgence” is offered as part of the NECC Speakers Bureau, which has professional faculty and staff speakers available to present to public and private school systems, libraries, service clubs, and more.

For more information on the Merrimac Public Library Program, call Tracy Shaw, assistant youth services librarian/adult program coordinator, (978)346-9441

For additional information on this program, please visit the Speakers Bureau website or contact the group at speakersbureau@necc.mass.edu or at 978-556-3862.

Northern Essex offers associate degrees in biology; chemistry, physics, and environmental science; and lab science.

With campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College offers over 60 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth.  Each year, close to 8,000 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 2,600 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley.  For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu.