January 12, 2020

Dive Inside the Human Body! Secret Science Club presents Structural Biologist Kevin Gardner, TUESDAY, January 21, 8PM @ the Bell House, FREE!

The human body is made of trillions of cells. Inside each cell, it’s as busy as the subway system with a dismaying array of routes, signals, and ever-moving parts. Exploring these teeny-tiny living labyrinths is the mission of modern-day micronauts like Kevin Gardner.

A biochemist and biophysicist, Kevin Gardner has been unlocking the secrets inside cells for over two decades. As he dives into this microscopic world, he visualizes how all-important cellular proteins look in three dimensions and studies how they react to different stimuli—all with the goal of learning how the human body works and finding new cures for diseases.

At the next Secret Science Club, Dr. Gardner asks:
--How do cells—bacteria, plant, and human—sense what is going on in the world around them?
--What role does light play in the world of cells? What are “optogenetic tools”? How do they turn genes on and off?
--How can understanding a cell’s reaction to stimuli, such as light and oxygen levels, be used to discover new biotech tools and cancer treatments?

BEFORE & AFTER
--Imbibe our macroscopic cocktail of the night, the Inner Space
--Sway to bio-themed tunes and feel the grooves at the cellular level
--Stick around for the scintillating Q&A

Kevin Gardner is the Einstein Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the City College of New York, and he is the Director of the Structural Biology Initiative at CUNY’s Advanced Science Research Center. Dr. Gardner uses combinations of structural biology methods, including Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, to probe how cellular proteins perceive and react to changes in the environments around them. He and his research team have discovered that a diverse group of proteins use similar mechanisms of signaling and regulation despite sensing radically different stimuli. His lab is exploring how these processes can be artificially controlled, leading to the development of new anti-cancer therapies and research tools.

This molecular edition of the Secret Science Club meets Tuesday, January 21, 8 pm @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Subway: F or G to 4th Ave, R to 9th St.

Doors open at 7:30 pm. Please bring ID: 21+. No cover. Just bring your smart self.

For more information, contact secretscienceclub@gmail.com Or visit us on the Web at http://secretscienceclub.blogspot.com 

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.