HHMI’s Holiday Lecture Series: 2012

Credit HHMI

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A couple of years ago I highlighted an online (and free)  holiday lecture series  offered by HHMI (Howard Hughes Medical Institute) that focused on Infectious Diseases. These four (roughly 1 hour lectures) were geared for and delivered to an audience of high school science students.

 

Which means that . . . while informative . . .  you didn’t have to be a full fledged microbiologist or virologist in order to follow along.

 

These lecture series are a yearly event, and over the past 18 years they have focused on a variety of topics, including: Cancer, Genomics, Biodiversity, Immunology, Neuroscience, and Infectious Diseases.

 

This year, the focus is on our changing planet, with four lectures available.

 

2012 Holiday Lectures

Changing Planet: Past, Present, Future

The 2012 Holiday Lectures are viewable via Flash streaming (720p HD or 360p SD) or in an iOS MP4 download (360p SD) compatible with iPhone, iPod, and iPad.

Lecture 1: The Deep History of a Living Planet, by Andrew Knoll, Ph.D.

 Lecture 2: Building Scientific Knowledge: The Story of Plate Tectonics, by Naomi Oreskes, Ph.D.

 Lecture 3: Earth's Climate: Back to the Future, by Daniel Schrag, Ph.D.

 Lecture 4: Climate Change: How Do We Know We're Not Wrong?, by Naomi Oreskes, Ph.D.
 

You’ll find a variety of lecture series in the archives, along with a number of `informal talks’.

 

These videos are a wonderful resource, with dozens of hours available on subjects ranging from genetics to anthropology, and everything in between.

 

The rest of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute  website is well worth exploring as well, for it contains numerous short science films, virtual laboratories, and interactive mini-lessons, all designed to feed your `inner science geek’.

 

Many of these videos, lectures, and podcasts are also accessible via iTunes.

 

Highly recommended, whether you are a young student just starting out, or an old science geek like myself.

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A Holiday Offering For Infectious Disease Geeks

 

 

 

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Forty years ago (1969), Surgeon General of the United States William H. Stewart, famously (and prematurely) declared,  "The war against diseases has been won."

 

Since then we’ve seen an influenza pandemic and the emergence of new viral threats like HIV and AIDS,  SARS, Nipah, Hanta and Hendra (among others).

 

We’ve watched the global spread of MRSA, the recent arrival of of NDM-1 and other Carbapenemases that threaten the viability of our antibiotic arsenal.

 

And we’ve seen an explosion in dengue and chikungunya cases, the global persistence of malaria and tuberculosis, along with outbreaks of Ebola, CCHF, and other exotic diseases.

 

And even old scourges, once thought on the way out, are showing new signs of life . . . like Pertussis, measles, and polio.

 

On average –  researchers have discovered one new zoonotic threat a year over the past three decades.

 

 

All of which makes the world of emerging (and re-emerging) infectious diseases – despite Stewart’s optimism – a growth industry.

 

To help prepare the next generation to meet this challenge, the HHMI (Howard Hughes Medical Institute) conducts a Holiday Lecture series on Science each year, geared for and delivered to high school science students in the studio audience.

 

Which means that . . .  while informative . . .  you don’t have to be a full fledged microbiologist or virologist in order to follow along. 

 

 

Over the years these lectures have focused on a variety of topics, including: Cancer, Genomics, Biodiversity, Immunology, Neuroscience, and Infectious Diseases.

 

This year, the focus is on Infectious Diseases, and there are four 1-hour lectures available for you to stream to your desktop and watch.

 

 

Lecture 1: Dengue Fever: Breaking Epidemic Cycles by Eva Harris

Lecture 2: The Virus Hunter's Toolkit by Joe DeRisi

Lecture 3: Fighting Viruses in the Lab and Beyond by Eva Harris

Lecture 4: Solving SARS and Other Viral Mysteries by Joe DeRisi

 

From the HHMI Lecture Series webpage:

 

In this year's lectures, "Viral Outbreak : The Science of Emerging Disease," watch two leading virus researchers explain how they use both simple and sophisticated technologies to detect and fight infectious agents.

 

Infectious diseases are a serious threat to world health. They are particularly devastating in tropical countries where infectious agents thrive and where healthcare resources are stretched thin. The warming trend in the global climate, coupled with increased international travel, has resulted in infectious outbreaks that spread more rapidly and that now affect regions with more temperate climates, including the United States. Many diseases that had been contained, such as dengue fever, have re-emerged as global health threats. How can scientific research help us detect and fight potential epidemics? Join two leading virus researchers, Joe DeRisi and Eva Harris, as they discuss their strategies for combating today’s epidemics, while preparing for those of tomorrow.

 

 

You’ll also find previous year’s videos, and transcripts, available for download as well.

 

This is a veritable treasure trove for science geeks everywhere, and I’m looking forward to sampling many of these lectures over the holidays.

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