May 16 – Much Ado about Mumps: Using genomics to track virus outbreaks in Massachusetts and beyond

Time: 7-9 p.m., Wednesday, May 16th Location: Pfizer Hall, Mallinckrodt Chemistry Labs, 12 Oxford St, Cambridge (link to directions) Speakers: Shirlee Wohl After decades of decline, mumps — once a ubiquitous childhood illness — is on the rise again. In this lecture, we’ll focus on the recent mumps outbreak right here in Massachusetts and learn about why mumps is back, why vaccinated people are getting sick, and how … Continue reading May 16 – Much Ado about Mumps: Using genomics to track virus outbreaks in Massachusetts and beyond

May 2 – “Super Black” Birds, Spiders, and Snakes

Time: 7-9 p.m., Wednesday, May 2nd Location: Pfizer Hall, Mallinckrodt Chemistry Labs, 12 Oxford St, Cambridge (link to directions) Speakers: Cody McCoy Incredibly dark, velvety, super-black surfaces have evolved many times in nature. What makes them so black, why did they evolve, and can engineers learn something from them? Continue reading May 2 – “Super Black” Birds, Spiders, and Snakes

April 18 – Approximating Intelligence: Machine Learning Driven AI

Time: 7-9 p.m., Wednesday, April 18th Location: Pfizer Hall, Mallinckrodt Chemistry Labs, 12 Oxford St, Cambridge (link to directions) Speakers: Spandan Madan The last five years have witnessed a dramatic surge in the excitement surrounding Artificial Intelligence: technology companies are investing billions, and news outlets are covering every new development in the research and the industry alike. Beyond the hype, we all often converge on a few simple, … Continue reading April 18 – Approximating Intelligence: Machine Learning Driven AI

April 4 – Electricity, Epilepsy, and How Your Brain Stays Balanced

Time: 7-9 p.m., Wednesday, April 4th Location: Pfizer Hall, Mallinckrodt Chemistry Labs, 12 Oxford St, Cambridge (link to directions) Speakers: Kelsey Tyssowski Much like Goldilocks, our brains are finicky: not too much, not too little, but just right—at least when it comes to their electrical activity. Your brain’s electrical activity allows you to interpret the world: everything you think, learn, see, touch, smell, taste, or hear causes a … Continue reading April 4 – Electricity, Epilepsy, and How Your Brain Stays Balanced

It Takes Guts: The Power of Your Gut Microbiota

Time: 7-9 p.m., Wednesday, March 21st Location: Pfizer Hall, Mallinckrodt Chemistry Labs, 12 Oxford St, Cambridge (link to directions) Speakers: Katie Wu The first friends we make are the ones that stick with us for life – all one hundred trillion of them. Meet your gut microbiota – the diverse, bustling community that you couldn’t function without! From food cravings to poop pills, the gut microbiota plays an … Continue reading It Takes Guts: The Power of Your Gut Microbiota

November 15 – High-Stake Steaks: the science of prions, Mad Cow, and other neurologic diseases

Time: 7-9 p.m., Wednesday, November 15th Location: Armenise Amphitheater at Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston (link to directions) Speakers: Noah Bloch and Vicky Chou For a decade between the mid-1980’s to the mid-1990’s, the outbreak of Mad Cow disease shook up the meat industry and the scientific community. How Mad Cow disease could spread from cow to cow, and from cow to humans puzzled scientists and … Continue reading November 15 – High-Stake Steaks: the science of prions, Mad Cow, and other neurologic diseases

November 8 – This Is How We Do It: From Sex Evolution to Sex Education

Time: 7-9 p.m., Wednesday, November 8th Location: Armenise Amphitheater at Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston (link to directions) Speakers: Michael Miyagi and Malinda McPherson At first glance, it seems like we all know what sex is. But there are many scientific subtleties to sex. In this lecture we will begin by providing an evolutionary context for sex, probing why sex drive is so strong and important, … Continue reading November 8 – This Is How We Do It: From Sex Evolution to Sex Education

November 1 – What Genes Cannot Tell: The role of epigenetics in determining who we are

Time: 7-9 p.m., Wednesday, November 1st Location: Armenise Amphitheater at Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston (link to directions) Speakers: Nava Gharaei, Kalki Jukreja, and Jenny Zheng All the cells in our body have the same DNA, and yet a stomach cell is able to digest food while a heart cell pumps blood. Similarly, genetically identical individuals have the same DNA, yet they develop into unique individuals … Continue reading November 1 – What Genes Cannot Tell: The role of epigenetics in determining who we are

October 25 – Here Comes the Sun: Harnessing the power of renewable energy

Time: 7-9 p.m., Wednesday, October 25th Location: Armenise Amphitheater at Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston (link to directions) Speakers: Emily Kerr and Justin Teesdale Over the last few years, electricity generation from renewable sources has grown at a remarkable pace and is projected to almost double by 2025. As we rely more on these green energy sources, how do we transform a power source that only … Continue reading October 25 – Here Comes the Sun: Harnessing the power of renewable energy

From Microwaves to Microbreweries: The Science Behind Our Food

Time: 7-9 p.m., Wednesday, October 18th Location: Armenise Amphitheater at Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston (link to directions) Speakers: Renee Geck and Chiara Ricci-Tam What, exactly, is cooking? We heat food up with a stove or microwave, but don’t often think about what is happening on a molecular level. Come learn how different methods of cooking work, consider the art of creating recipes from a scientific … Continue reading From Microwaves to Microbreweries: The Science Behind Our Food