Tuesday, March 25 • 6-7:30 p.m. • Northrop Best Buy Theater
Join members of the CBS community for an evening of lightning talks discussing the real world opportunities, challenges, and applications of life sciences research and practice. Speakers will include a mix of faculty, students and alumni discussing areas of passion from a wide range of biological fields of study. Light appetizers provided.
Meet the speakers:
Dr. Cheryl Quinn: Treating Infectious Diseases
1985 Alumna, Biochemistry & Microbiology
Dr. Cheryl Quinn boasts a successful career in pharmaceutical R&D with over 50 patents before eventually transitioning into biotechnology and serving as the CEO of ImmuVen. She continues to serve as an independent consultant for biotechnology companies and as an advisor to the National Institutes of Health and nonprofit foundations around discovery of new treatments for fungal and bacterial infections. In 2022, Cheryl was recognized with the University’s Alumni Achievement Award.
Sarah Alabsi: Coloring within Their Lines: Using Scientific Ingenuity to Respect Patient Choices
2019 Alumna, Microbiology
Sarah Alabsi is a current fourth-year student at the University of Minnesota Medical School, where she prepares to take her next steps into medical residency. Her passion for working in medicine grew out of her experiences translating for her family in healthcare settings and navigating her own journey receiving care in the Cardiac Care Unit. As an undergraduate student, Sarah served as Vice President of the CBS Student Board and participated in the Tom Burnett Advanced Leadership Program.
Alejandra Perez-Enriquez: Participatory Ecological Restoration
Graduate Student, Plant & Microbial Biology
Alejandra Perez-Enriquez grew up in Sarapiqui, Costa Rica where her interest in tropical ecology blossomed. As a second-year graduate student, Alejandra’s research focuses on how plants interact with the environment. In 2019, as an undergraduate student, Alejandra created Guarumo, an NGO which engages local communities in collaborative, grassroots approaches to ecological restoration, which she continues to run as she pursues her graduate degree.
Emily Hanson: Finding Solutions in Unexpected Places
Graduate Student, Plant & Microbial Biology
Emily Hanson is currently a fourth-year graduate student in Plant & Microbial Biology where her research looks at niche microbes called methanogens. In addition to her research, Emily is also passionate about art and science communication. This past Fall, Emily took first place in the CBS Science in Seconds competition, where she was asked to condense her graduate thesis into a 3-minute presentation.
Dr. Mikael Elias: Listening to the Invisible: How Microbial Conversations Are Inspiring Sustainable Solutions
Associate Professor, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics
Dr. Mikael Elias joined the College of Biological Sciences in 2014 after completing his schooling in France and two postdoctoral fellowships at the Weizmann Institute of Science. In addition to his appointment with BMBB, he is also a part of the BioTechnology Institute. His research investigates biological molecules and develops methods for their engineering, with the aim of developing efficient, soft solutions to current or emerging society issues.