Salk’s Women & Science program collaborated with the Del Mar Garden Club on its annual community outreach program to offer an exciting and informative virtual event focused on how plants can help tackle climate change. Professor and Director Joanne Chory spoke about climate change and the effect plants have on it.
In February, Salk’s annual March of Dimes High School Science Day took place virtually, and was extended from one day to an entire week. The annual outreach event was designed to encourage high school students to consider an exciting career in science and research. In this virtual event, students from around the country had the opportunity to remotely visit with Salk scientists, hear about their work, take lab tours and participate in current experiments.
On November 16, Professor and Director Ronald Evans shared clinical trial updates on pancreatic cancer, a devastating disease with only 8 percent of patients surviving more than five years. Evans shared research breakthroughs, including immunotherapy and a vitamin D derivative.
On January 27, in a virtual discussion with Salkexcellerators, Professor and Director Susan Kaech and Professor Gerald Joyce gave their expert view on the underlying science of the vaccines being deployed in the fight against COVID-19 and how the immune system responds to the vaccine to protect against infection. Salkexcellerators are an extraordinary group of community members, entrepreneurs, and business professionals who share a passion for supporting and learning about Salk’s recent discoveries.
On November 9, Professor and CSO/VP Martin Hetzer discussed aging and how it is the most significant risk factor for human disease. Human cells and tissues age at different rates depending on their intrinsic properties, where they are in the body and environmental exposures. The Hetzer lab aims to understand this variability (“heterogeneity”) and how it contributes to overall human aging, risk for disease or therapeutic responses.
On February 3, Professor Kay Tye shared how her lab is employing cutting-edge neuroscience approaches to understanding the mechanisms of how our brains respond to social isolation.
The aging puzzle comes togetherAging is a complex puzzle, but by applying a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach, Salk scientists are putting its many pieces together.
Dmitry Lyumkis – A passion for problem solvingAssistant Professor Dmitry Lyumkis discusses what he loves about data and the scientific process, and which places inspire him outside the lab.
Pamela Maher – Seeking treatments for Alzheimer’s diseaseFrom having a large garden to investigating compounds that plants make, Staff Scientist Pam Maher talks about how plants inspire her to find treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
Rajasree Kalagiri – Bound to phosphohistidineRajasree Kalagiri shares the serendipitous steps along her journey of scientific discovery from southern India to Southern California.
