City College of San Francisco
Biology Seminar
Series
Fall 2009
Seminars are held at the Ocean campus and are co-sponsored
by the City College Concert and Lecture Series.
The lectures are free and open to the public. Seating
is limited. For this reason we recommend
contacting the seminar organizers listed below to check on seating.
The
Ecology of Lyme Disease in Northern California
Speaker: Chindi Peavey, Ph.D.,
Vector Ecologist, San Mateo County
Mosquito and Vector Control District
Location: S300
Time: Noon-1 p.m.
Synopsis:
The
Ecology of Lyme disease in western North America differs from that on the East
Coast. This talk will cover the reservoirs, tick vectors, seasonality and
other aspects of the maintenance and transmission of the Lyme disease
spirochete in this area. Aspects of control and prevention will also be
discussed from the perspective of a public health agency.
Does habitat fragmentation along the Tropical Eastern Pacific coastline
affect migration among tropical marine fish?
Speaker: Yvette R. Alva-Campbell, PhD Candidate,
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz
Date: Friday, September 18th
Location: S300
Time: Noon-1
p.m.
Synopsis: Migration is essential for maintaining genetic diversity within
populations. When barriers to dispersal persist, populations may evolve
independently into distinct genetic entities, and undergo either speciation or
possibly extinction. To understand the mechanisms responsible for speciation,
it is crucial to understand what factors influence dispersal. In the
marine realm there are few known physical barriers, making speciation studies
in fish challenging. This talk discusses whether habitat fragmentation
along the coastline of the Tropical Eastern Pacific, the region from Mexico to
Peru, can potentially reduce the amount of migration among populations of
marine fish.
Organ Transplantation: Past, Present,
and Future.
Speaker: Sang-Mo
Kang, MD. Associate Professor of Surgery, Division of Transplantation,
University of California at San Francisco
Date: Friday, October 16th
Location: S300
Time: Noon-1 p.m.
Synopsis: Dr. Kang will present a brief history of organ
transplantation to frame the main hurdles that are still problematic today.
He will discuss the challenges in modern transplantation and provide an
overview of ongoing research designed to overcome these challenges.
Bed Bugs: 21st Century Vampires
Speaker, Johnson Ojo PhD, Principal
Environmental Health Inspector, Environmental Health Section, San Francisco
Department of Public Health
Date: Friday October 30th
Location: S300
Time:
Noon-1 p.m.
Synopsis: Dr. Ojo will describe the life cycle of
these insects and discuss current understanding of factors relating to their
reemergence. He will also describe the
public health measures and regulations for the control of bed bug infestations
in San Francisco.
The D-bate: Defining Vitamin D
Status and Requirements throughout the Life Cycle
Synopsis: Well-known for its
role in promoting calcium absorption and skeletal mineralization, vitamin D as
a nutrient and steroid hormone also participates in a variety of other
physiological functions ranging from regulation of cellular differentiation to
modulation of immune function. As the roles of vitamin D have become better
understood, controversy has developed regarding circulating concentrations
optimal for functional health outcomes. This presentation will review vitamin D
nutrition and discuss the evidence regarding vitamin D status and health during
various stages of the life cycle.
Information about the
seminars is available at:
http://www.ccsf.org/Departments/Biology
Contact the seminar
coordinators:
Carole
Toebe, PhD
Chair:
Biology Department, CCSF
Tel:
415-239-3645
email:
ctoebe@ccsf.edu
Stephanie
Lyons
Coordinator:
Concert and Lecture Series
Tel:
415-239-3580
email:
slyons@ccsf.edu