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​Oct. 25th:  Laura Laranjo-
The Pipeline of Drug Development:
From Basic Research to your Medicine Cabinet
​
We all have extensive access to many different FDA approved drugs that are useful in treating multiple injuries and diseases – many of which have become so commonplace that they can be readily found at bedsides and medicine cabinets across the globe. However, we might not often consider how these drugs are discovered and how they impact our biology. As a research scientist, Ms. Laranjo is intrigued by drugs that treat diseases such as cancers, HIV, and sickle cell anemia, but also causes mutations in our genome. In this talk, she will explore the biology and ethics behind specific drugs to better understand drug development and treatment. The talk will also focus on cancer and antiviral drugs, their mechanism of action, and how scientists decide drug benefits versus drug risk. In addition, she will explore the role that society and science policy plays in the drug development pipeline. 


Nov. 20th: Dr. Joe DeGiorgis-DNA Barcoding and Photographic Imaging of the Marine Life of Narragansett Bay: the Search for Novel Species
​Joe DeGiorgis received a BS in Oceanography from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1986. During his undergraduate career he worked as an intern at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute first in the aquaculture facility raising unicellular algae then in the Department of Chemical Engineering designing an emergency breathing apparatus for the Johnson Sealink Submarine. In 1985, Joe became a SCUBA diver/collector for the MBL Department of Marine Resources and has been at the MBL every summer since. He began working on kinesin motor proteins with Bruce Schnapp at Harvard Medical School. Joe received his PhD from Brown University in 2001 in Cellular and Molecular Biology were he worked on myosins in the squid giant axon with Elaine Bearer. Joe served as a postdoc with Tom Reese at the NIH where he focused on the structure of the postsynaptic density used techniques in electron microscopy.  Currently, Joe is a Professor of Biology at Providence College were he teaches Neurobiology as well as Light and Electron Microscopy. In addition, Joe teaches artists how to take images with microscopes at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.

Dec. 6th: Lauren Celano is the Co-founder and CEO of Propel Careers, a life science search and career development firm focused on connecting talented individuals with entrepreneurial innovative life sciences companies.  Lauren is very passionate about working with individuals with strong scientific backgrounds to find exciting growth opportunities in the life sciences and related industries. Lauren co-founded Propel Careers in 2009 and since then, has worked with thousands of students, postdocs, medical residents and professionals to help advance their careers. Before Propel, she spent about 10 years in the life sciences industry working with companies to advance drug molecules through SNBL USA, Aptuit, Quintiles, and Absorption Systems. She has a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Gettysburg College and an MBA with a focus in the health sector and entrepreneurship from Boston University.  Lauren is on the Board of MassBioEd, the Advisory Board of the Boston University School of Public Health Pharmaceuticals Program, and the Advisory board for Endicott College Boston. She also serves on the Gettysburg College Entrepreneurial Fellowship Advisory Council and the programming committee of the Capital Network.  She has also been part of the selection committee  for the Life Sciences Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the last 4 years with the Immigrant Learning Center. 


January 17th: Dr. Vlad Botchkarev-
Dare to Be Wrong: Lessons Learned from my Young Life in Science

Dr. Botchkarev is a Research Fellow in Cancer Biology and Genetics at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. After graduating from Sharon High School, Dr. Botchkarev obtained his Bachelor's degree in Medical Science from the University of Leeds (UK) and completed his PhD work at Brandeis University on proteins that control cell division and the DNA damage response. Dr. Botchkarev is passionate about investigating cancer biology, taking pictures with microscopes, and science education. In his talk, Dr. Botchkarev will share with the audience experiences from his career in hopes of inspiring students to enter the exciting world of STEM. 



​Feb. 7th: Dr. Ruhul Abid: Global Health-

​Dr. Ruhul Abid's global health work  involves development of a workplace mobile health clinic for the garment factory workers in Bangladesh using a paperless, electronic medical record system for health screening and treatment of diseases. https://www.brown.edu/initiatives/global-health/news/2016-11/health-wheels




More recent work involves two 8-member medical team serving 700,000 forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals to Bangladesh, called the Rohingya, since October 2017. The teams have been providing medical care to 250-300 patients per day (around 6,500 patients per month) in the makeshift camps of the Rohingya in Kutupalong and Balukhali, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. http://www.browndailyherald.com/2017/11/16/prof-provides-health-care-displaced-rohingya-refugees/

Do you have an idea about a future STEM Talk speaker?
                 
​E-mail one of the following STEM Talk Team Members!

Cathy Collins,
Library Media Specialist and grant writer
[email protected]

Emily Burke, Science Coordinator              
[email protected]

James Dixon, Biology Teacher
  [email protected]

Vlad Botchkarev, SHS alum and grant writer:
[email protected]

Thank you, Sharon Education Foundation and ASCB for continued grant funding this school year!