'Science on Saturday' in Tracy returns Sept. 23

LIVERMORE, California -- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's popular "Science on Saturday" lecture series will return to Tracy this month, reprising two presentations that were featured earlier this year that highlight "ingenious inventions."

The free, one-hour presentations will be held on Sept. 16 and 23 at 10 a.m. at The Grand Theatre, 715 N. Central Ave. in Tracy. No pre-registration is required. Admittance is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Each informative and entertaining lecture highlights cutting-edge science presented by leading LLNL researchers who are joined by master high school science teachers.

The two-part series kicks off Saturday, Sept. 16, with LLNL scientists Monica Borucki and Jonathan Allen, along with teacher Elizabeth Lopez of Granada High School (Livermore), presenting "Reconstructing a Rabies Epidemic: Byte by Byte." This informative and entertaining lecture will explain how biologists and computer scientists used cutting-edge, ultra-deep sequencing technology to study the dynamics of a 2009 rabies outbreak. This case study, based on a dramatic increase (more than 350 percent) in the gray fox population infected with a rabies variant for which striped skunks serve as the hosts, will be used to help illustrate the changes in the viral genome during cross-species viral transmission.

On Saturday, Sept. 23, LLNL scientists Brad Hart, Deon Anex and Katelyn Mason will be joined by teacher Katherine Huang of Dougherty Valley High School to present "Forensic Science in Crisis: How Proteins Can Help." This talk will focus on the challenges of traditional forensic methods, which have come under increasing criticism by the scientific community, and showcases the work going on at Lawrence Livermore's Forensic Science Center (FSC) to address some of those challenges.

Science on Saturday is sponsored by LLNL's Science Education Program and targeted to middle and high school students. Visit the web for more information about Science on Saturday or contact albala1 [at] llnl.gov (Joanna Albala), (925) 422-6803.