Science Talks: A conversation hosted by the University of Arizona’s BIO5 Institute

 Today we are joined by Dr.  Vanessa Buzzard, a senior research specialist at the University of Arizona School of Environmental and Natural Resources. Dr. Buzzard received her Ph.D. from the University of Arizona in 2017 where she focused on plant functional trait distribution, but has transitioned her studies from natural systems to urban environments. Today, she is a part of BIO5 member Laura Meredith’s lab where she questions th...

Amy Barber was joined by Ash Black, the director of AI & industry at the University of Arizona Institute for Computation & Data-Enabled Insight, to discuss his role coordinating AI outreach and building internships, jobs, and economic opportunities across Arizona. This institute provides training, education, collaboration, software licenses, and data to our researchers here at BIO5 and the U of A. Black works as a creative ...

Identifying and understanding zoonotic diseases—infections that are spread between people and animals—can help predict future emergence risks, particularly in vulnerable populations. Combined with computational and data-based models, this research allows us to study potential diseases in the hopes of preventing outbreaks.

On this episode of Science Talks, Amy Barber is joined by Dr. Liliana Salvador, assistant professor of animal a...

Students are an important part of the BIO5 Institute at the University of Arizona and share in the success we achieve here. The different administrative departments within BIO5 look for ways to engage with students and train them on the business side of science. One of those departments is the Public Affairs department where students assist with communications and marketing projects, community and faculty events, and other special ...

Air pollution, which has implications for human health particularly in urban areas, may be attributed to volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. VOCs in the atmosphere have various sources, but of rising concern are those originating from personal care items, cleaning products, and industrial solvents. 

Amy Barber and Caroline Bartelme were joined by Dr. Gemma Purser a 2024 BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Laura Meredith’s lab in the S...

A chronic wound does not heal in an orderly set of stages or predictable amount of time. These wounds often remain in the inflammatory stage for too long, taking years to heal, or never healing at all. Biomedical research uses regenerative medicine, tissue repair, nanotechnology, and various biomaterials to target chronic injuries like this. It’s important for researchers to focus on targeting an anti-inflammatory response within m...

In many cases where babies are born prematurely, they often have underdeveloped lungs. This can cause breathing problems and neonatal lung diseases that require long-term treatment, or even lung transplantation. It’s critical for research to be done to provide treatments that can help these premature babies survive so they can grow up healthy. 

Amy Barber is joined on Science Talks by Dr. Vlad Kalinichenko, an internationally renow...

Understanding the role of cardiac myosin binding protein-c in muscle function can offer insight into cardiovascular disease. Mutations and abnormalities in this protein can lead to defects in the cardiac system, including heart failure in adults.   

Amy Barber and Caroline Bartelme are joined by Dr. Angie Greenman, a 2024 BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Samantha (Sam) Harris’ lab in the Department of Physiology at the University of...

Amy Randall-Barber and her co-host, Paulina Garza, welcomed Byrdie Lopez to the latest episode of Science Talks. Lopez is a University of Arizona undergraduate pursuing a double major in biochemistry and molecular cellular biology on track to attend pharmacy school. Her journey at the BIO5 Institute began as a KEYS Research intern in 2022 working with BIO5 member Wei Wang in the R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy. Only a few years late...

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, affects nearly half of American adults and is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Researchers are working to better understand the role of the peripheral nervous system, the part of your nervous system that lies outside your brain and spinal cord, in the development of cardiovascular as well as renal diseases. Amy Randall-Barber from the BIO5 Institute was joined on S...

Induced pluri-potent stem cells (iPSC) are widely used in therapeutics for disease modeling, regenerative medicine, and drug discovery. Using patients’ cells, scientists can regenerate their cells into iPSC and recreate new organs for patients who need them. Amy Randall-Barber from the BIO5 Institute was joined on Science Talks by Dr. Ekta Minocha, a 2023 BIO5 postdoctoral fellow working in the Jason Wertheim lab at the University ...

See how an interdisciplinary scientific approach shaped the future of molecular diagnostics and personalized healthcare on a global scale. Amy Randall-Barber from the BIO5 Institute was joined on Science Talks by Dr. Frederic Zenhausern, director of the Center for Applied NanoBioscience and Medicine (ANBM) at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, among many other appointments in the college including in Basic Med...

Science ignites curiosity about the natural world, leading people to explore and advocate for it. Amy Randall-Barber from the BIO5 Institute was joined on Science Talks by Caroline (Mosley) Bartelme, the senior manager of communications and content at the BIO5 Institute at the University of Arizona. Caroline's journey into science began with a fascination for ecosystems, studying invasive species in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Later,...

Cancer is an incredibly complex disease. To better understand how it interacts with the human body, researchers in the lab grow organoids, miniature three-dimensional tissue cultures derived from stem cells.

Amy Randall-Barber from the BIO5 Institute was joined on Science Talks by Dr. Martha Dua-Awereh who uses organoids to study colorectal and pancreatic cancer with the Alfred Bothwell lab in the Department of Immunobiology at th...

Unfortunately, many aspects of women’s health are underfunded and understudied. Better understanding women’s health conditions and microbiomes can help lead to better health outcomes and improve the quality of life.

Amy Randall-Barber from the BIO5 Institute was joined on Science Talks by Dr. Nicole Jimenez, currently in the Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz lab, at the University of Arizona College of Medicine — Phoenix with a focus on wo...

Adding fertilizers to our soil is not as simple as it seems. Plants use some of it, but unseen microbes metabolize fertilizers into gas, including nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to our changing climate. How can we not only understand how current agriculture affects our ecosystems, but also use that knowledge to advance new agricultural technology? 

Amy Randall-Barber from the BIO5 Institute interviewed Dr. ...

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a herpesvirus that infects a majority of the world’s population. It’s a significant cause of viral induced birth defects and can cause complications in transplant patients or immunocompromised individuals.

Amy Randall-Barber from the BIO5 Institute interviewed Dr. Rebekah Mokry, a postdoctoral research associate and 2023 BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Immunobiology at the University o...

The field of public health has become even more critical in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health professionals must balance strategic thinking with compassionate thinking, and must truly be able to collaborate on the state, national, and global levels. Today, we are joined by physician and scientist Dr. Purnima Madhivanan. Dr. Madhivanan is an Associate Professor of Public Health, Medicine, Psychology, and Family and Co...