Elisabeth Marnik, Ph.D.Monday, February 8, 2021 · 5:00–6:00 pm
** To do our part in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and keeping our staff, supporters and community safe, MDI Biological Laboratory has moved all public events, courses and conferences to a virtual format. Our top priority is the safety of our employees, supporters and community. We will be hosting this Science Café online.**
The topic of the MDI Science Café for Monday, February 8, 2021 will be “How mRNA is Revolutionizing Vaccines,” presented by Elisabeth Marnik, Ph.D.
Do you know what mRNA is? Do you know why it is so important to our cells? Every second our bodies are taking the directions contained in our DNA, making mRNA and then using the mRNA to make proteins. This process is fundamental to life at all levels – from bacteria to humans. Now, scientists have been able to adapt this process and use it to make COVID-19 vaccines in record time. This not only will help end the pandemic, but will dramatically change how vaccines are made in the future. In this talk we will discuss how our bodies use mRNA normally, and then how this process has been safely adapted for vaccines to protect us from COVID-19.
Elisabeth Marnik, Ph.D. received her B.S. from Central Connecticut State University and her Ph.D. from Tufts University. Previously a post-doctoral fellow in the MDIBL laboratory of Dustin Updike, Ph.D., Dr. Marnik is currently Assistant Professor in the College of Science and Humanities at Husson University. Her ongoing research with C. elegans focuses on an alternate pathway to regeneration: by recreating the properties of germ cells. Click here to learn more about Dr. Marnik’s experience at MDIBL.
The MDI Science Café series is held on the second Monday of the month through May, when the bimonthly summer series will begin.
Our live online Zoom presentations will be recorded and uploaded for those who cannot make the live session. Please note, when Zoom records, it captures the audience as well as the presenter. If you do not wish to be recorded, please turn off your video camera. Audio will still be available.
MDI Science Cafés are offered in fulfillment of the MDI Biological Laboratory’s mission to promote scientific literacy and increase public engagement with science. The popular events offer a chance to hear directly from speakers about trends in science.
We ask attendees to please preregister online so that we can send you the link to the online presentation.