Cafe Talk: Approaching Archaeology by Dylan Karges

This talk has been rescheduled for the Fall. 

When: FALL. 

Where: Bin 612 (Room located on Maxwell St.)

Topic: Approaching Archaeology

Speaker: Dylan Karges

Archaeology is a discipline of discovery and interpretation, and though the hard sciences are fully integrated into the field with specialization in analysis and technologies for interpretation and rendering of sites, dates, and other data, the excavation process has stayed relatively similar throughout the years with mostly methodological tweaking to provide a more complete and complex picture of the site and its inhabitants. With the process of excavation being destructive, the approach must be sensitive and informed throughout the process. We will discuss the digging in archaeology, where to start and how to proceed from day to day; how to establish controls when everything is a variable and the risks inherent in the process.

About Dylan Karges
Dylan joined the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at MSU in 1998 as an artist to illustrate artifacts. Since then he has become more involved in the actual process of archaeology and the publications associated with the research and excavations ongoing in Israel. He has been active in excavations as both an illustrator in the lab and field, but also as an excavator. With first hand experience in the field and the unique perspective of a fine artist, Dylan brings a singular voice and perspective to the archaeological process.

Bin 612 on University Drive (Room located on Maxwell St.)
FALL 

Cafe Scientifique is a free event. Although we hold the event at restaurants, you are not required to dine or purchase anything in order to attend the event. Come along, and bring friends.

Machaerus Archaeological Site in Jordan by Dr. Gyözö Vörös at The Cobb Institute

The Cobb Institute is hosting an illustrated lecture by Dr. Gyözö Vörös, from the Hungarian Academy of Arts, on the Machaerus Archaeological Site in Jordan.
When: Monday, April 15, at 4:00 P.M.
Where: the Cobb Institute, Dr. Gyözö Vörös


See flyer below

Cafe Talk: Mysteries of Early Mammalian Development and Stem Cells

When: Tuesday March 19th at 6:00 PM

Where: Bin 612 (Room located on Maxwell St.)

Topic: Mysteries of Early Mammalian Development and Stem Cells

Speaker: Dr. Erdoğan Memili

Stem Cells

Fusion of sperm with the egg at the time of fertilization sets the stage for mammalian development, and early embryogenesis is essential for later development. Influences of the sperm and egg onto the developing embryo as well as precise mechanisms regulating early development still remain largely unknown. Stem cells, both embryonic and adult, provide an essential mean to understand cell plasticity and improve regenerative medicine. We will talk about fascinating biology of sperm, egg, embryo as well as stem cells, and how some of the related biotechnologies such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), cloning, and regenerative medicine impact science and society.

About Dr. Erdoğan Memili
Dr. Memili received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison followed by postdoctoral fellow and research and development scientist positions at Harvard University and at GTC Biotherapeutics, respectively. He joined Mississippi State University in 2004 and is currently an associate professor at the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences. Dr. Memili is a reproductive biologist, and using functional genomics and epigenomics approaches he studies mammalian gamete and embryo development, and adult stem cells to improve fertility and advance regenerative medicine, respectively.

Bin 612 on University Drive (Room located on Maxwell St.)
Tuesday, March 19th at 6:00 PM

Cafe Scientifique is a free event. Although we hold the event at restaurants, you are not required to dine or purchase anything in order to attend the event. Come along, and bring friends.

Cafe Talk: Ailments and Afflictions (Part of Darwin's Week at MSU)

When: Wednesday, February 13th at 6:00 PM

Where: Bin 612 (Room located on Maxwell St.)

Topic: Ailments and Afflictions: The Evolution of Disease

Speaker: Dr. Chris Brooks, and Dr. Brian Counterman

This talk is part of a week of events celebrating Darwin International Day.

Evolution of Disease

Pathogens and the diseases they cause have shaped the culture and the biology of human populations throughout history. In 1970, the surgeon general of the United States said that it was "time to close the book on infectious diseases, declare the war against pestilence won, and shift national resources to such chronic problems as cancer and heart disease." Over the ensuing four decades, emerging pathogens like SARS and Swine Flu, and potential risks such as avian flu have revealed the fallacy of this statement. These diseases, as well as the majority of all human infectious diseases, are derived from pathogens that cause disease in other vertebrate hosts. We will discuss the history of disease emergence in human populations and use Darwin's four postulates to explain the process, and suggest the source of our next major emerging pathogen.

About Dr. Chris Brooks
Dr. Brooks has been an Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at Mississippi State University since 2007. He received his Ph.D. in 2004 from the University of North Carolina before taking postdoctoral positions at Colorado State University, followed by the University of Texas prior to his arrival at MSU. Dr. Brooks is a population ecologist whose research focuses on the role of host trait variation on a variety of specialized consumers: from herbivores to pathogens.

Got Milk? The Evolution of Human Lactose Tolerance

Today, over 40 million adults in the US are unable to drink milk without ailment due to lactose intolerance. The ability to breakdown lactose in milk as an adult appears to have arisen relatively recently with the advent of pasteurization. The independent origin and spread and pasteurization practices in human populations have resulted in the independent evolution of lactose tolerance in several different groups of people throughout the world. We will explore how scientists have uncovered the evolutionary history and genetic basis of lactose tolerance among modern human populations and the implications it may have for each of us.

About Dr. Brian Counterman
Brian Counterman is a professor of Biology at MSU, with a PhD. in Biology from Duke University (2007). He is broadly interested in understanding the processes responsible for the origin of novel adaptive traits and new species in natural populations. In particular, he has been studying the predictability of evolution at the genomic level. His research asks: Are there certain regions of the genome that are disproportionately involved in adaptation and speciation? If so, what are they, where are they and what drives such patterns? Since establishing his laboratory he has expanded this research across different biological scales and started to address these same questions from developmental and ecological perspectives to establish an integrated view of how organisms change over time in response to evolutionary pressures.

Bin 612 on University Drive (Room located on Maxwell St.)
Wednesday, February 13th at 6:00 PM

Cafe Scientifique is a free event. Although we hold the event at restaurants, you are not required to dine or purchase anything in order to attend the event. Come along, and bring friends.