“The Acetylproteome of the Lyme Disease Pathogen: Implications for Host Adaptation and Pathogenesis”

(Robert Cluss, Middlebury College
Thursday, March 30 3:45 PM
Druckenmiller Hall, room 020

Borrelia burgdorferi has emerged as the most significant vector-borne pathogen in the United States, responsible for over 30,000 reported cases of Lyme disease in 2014. The spirochete cycles between its arthropod vector, the blacklegged tick, and mammalian hosts.  Much of the research effort in the Lyme disease field is focused on identifying virulence determinants of the spirochete and aspects of host immunity that support productive infection, multiplication, and pathology.

The Cluss group at Middlebury College has generated a catalog of B. burgdorferi proteins that are modified by acetylation, which is a well-established covalent modification of proteins affecting structure and function.

In this talk, several enzymes that are acetylated and moonlight as potential virulence factors will be described.  A potential role for acetylation in the natural lifecycle of the spirochete will be considered.

“What it Takes To Be a Scientist: Employing Reality Pedagogy To Transform Schools and Society”

March 30, 2017 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM | Visual Arts Center, Kresge Auditorium

Chris Emdin explores participation and engagement in STEM fields and the ways that the education culture tracks students out of success in these disciplines. He uncovers reasons for youth disinterest in school and the STEM disciplines and how we can look for new educational approaches that foster participation and engagement in STEM without sacrificing rigor and content.

To address these issues, Emdin developed ‘Reality Pedagogy’, an approach to teaching and learning that provides educators with seven practical tools for improving their practice. The tools of Reality Pedagogy are designed to support STEM educators across ANY discipline in becoming more effective in transforming their classroom, and are the pillars of Edmin’s newest book, For White Folks Who Teach In The Hood and the Rest of Y’all Too.

Emdin explores what it takes to be a scientist, how educators, parents, and the general public can hone those skills in youth, and why we have no choice but to re-focus on creating a new STEM generation.

Sponsored by the Brodie Family Lecture Fund. Co-sponsored with the Center for Learning and Teaching, McKeen Center for the Common Good, Departments of Chemistry, Math, and Earth and Oceanographic Science, the Environmental Studies Program, and the Student Center for Multicultural Life.

Public Health, Reproductive Justice, and Law: A Conversation w/ Professor Sorenson & Professor Hecht

Thursday, March 30 6:30 PM
Searles 315

Friday Field Notes at the Coastal Studies Center: “Plants”

March 31, 2017 | 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Coastal Studies Center Farmhouse

Come enjoy being outdoors, and help document the seasonal changes in plants and animals at Bowdoin’s beautiful Coastal Studies Center in our Friday Field Notes series. The theme for March is Tree ID, feel free to bring your notebook, sketchbook or camera. The event will run 2-4pm at the CSC, with a shuttle departing from the Druckenmiller loading dock at 1:30pm.  Email [email protected] to reserve a seat on the shuttle.

Maine Politics: A discussion featuring Speaker of the Maine House, Sara Gideon (D-Freeport), and State Senator, Roger Katz (R-Augusta)

April 3, 2017 | 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM | Visual Arts Center, Kresge Auditorium
Maine Politics
A discussion featuring Speaker of the Maine House, Sara Gideon (D-Freeport), and State Senator, Roger Katz (R-Augusta)
An opportunity to ask questions on current social, economic, and political issues facing the State of Maine from representatives from both sides of the isle.

Moderated by Jack Lucy ’17 and Marisa O’Toole ’17
Sponsored by the Bowdoin Republicans and Bowdoin Democrats.

This event is open to Bowdoin students, faculty and staff only.

Roger Katz (R-Augusta) 
Serves Augusta, China, Oakland, Sidney and Vassalboro in the Maine State Senate. Has served in the Senate since 2010 following two terms as the Mayor of Augusta. Katz serves on the Appropriations Committee and as Chair of the Government Oversight Committee.

Katz is a longtime activist in his community serving in leadership capacities with such organizations as United Way, Kennebec Valley YMCA, Team Cony, the Augusta Charter Commission and the Augusta Bicentennial Celebration. Has received number awards for his work within the community including the “Business Person of the Year” award from the Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce.

A veteran attorney, Katz is a senior partner in the Augusta firm of Lipman & Katz, is a former president of the Maine Trial Lawyers Association and has been named one of the “Outstanding Lawyers in America.” Katz resides in Augusta with his wife, Birdie Newman Katz, and they are the proud parents of two adult children, Jonathan and Shari.

Sara Gideon (D-Freeport)
Is serving her first term as Speaker of the House and third term in the Maine House of Representatives, representing the towns of Freeport and Pownal. As Speaker of the House, she is responsible for presiding over all actions of the House of Representatives.
Her community service, including hours in the RSU 5 schools, on the Town Council and on the boards of the Freeport Community Services and the Freeport Economic Development Corporation, is a major inspiration behind her public service career. Her desire to positively impact the lives of children and empower women and working families is why she ran for office.

Speaker Gideon graduated from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She spent her professional career as an advertising account executive for a nationally renowned newspaper. Her father is a pediatrician who immigrated to America from India. Her mother is also a first-generation American, whose parents immigrated from Armenia.
She lives in Freeport, with her husband Ben and their three children.