Science Café Fort Collins

Second Wednesday of every month
Fort Collins, Colorado

Science Café Fort Collins joins the international community of scientists and interested citizens who meet monthly for informal discussions of lively and interesting issues in contemporary science. We host top-notch local and internationally recognized scientists, from academia and industry, in our quest to transform scientific discourse into “polite conversation.”

We gather for no-host drinks and snacks beginning at 5:30pm.
Science Café features a short talk about the scientist’s area of specialty starting at 6:00pm, followed by group discussion and plenty of time for Q&A.

The Cafe concludes at 7:00pm. No cover charge.

Date	Wednesday, August 13, 2008, 6pm
Time	5:30 – Arrive and order your food/drink 6:00 – Lecture/Discussion begins promptly 7:00 – Discussion concludes
Location	Starry Night Espresso Cafe 112 South South College Street
Led by	Dr. Paul Laybourn, Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Colorado State University
Topic:	Science of a Cancer Cell—Latest Research on the Disease that Touches All of Us

One in five Americans dies of cancer, and double that number will be diagnosed with some form of cancer. This is a disease that affects most all of us. Key questions that will be addressed are: what is cancer, what are the causes of cancer, how is my lab investigating the causes of cancer, and can a cure for cancer be found? According to Dr. Layborne, “In my view, the heart of the matter is to understand the changes that occur to make a cancer cell different from a normal cell. My hope is to provide those in attendance with a clearer conception of what cancer is and how it can be prevented and perhaps someday cured.”

One of the most critical questions in biomedical science today is: What mechanisms regulate gene expression? Many types of cancer and birth defects result from mutations in the cellular machinery regulating gene expression. At the heart of this question is the mechanism and interactions of transcription regulation in the context of chromatin.

Meet Paul Laybourn

Dr. Paul Laybourn is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at CSU, where he has taught since 1992. He received his BA in Biology from UC Santa Barbara, his PhD in Biochemistry from UC Davis, and did post-doctoral study in the biochemistry of gene regulation in chromatin at UC San Diego.

Currently, he teaches classes in Introductory Genetics, the Biochemistry of Disease, and an Introduction to Eukaryotic Cell Biology. His chief area of research is in the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotic cells at the level of transcription, and he has pioneered biochemical investigation of transcription regulatory mechanisms on chromatin. This expertise includes extensive experience in assembling chromatic templates with assembly factors from yeast, Drosophila and now mammalian cells. This also includes transcription of these templates with transcription factors from yeast, Drosophila and mammalian cells. Very few labs combine these two areas of expertise, due to the wide range of factors being considered.

Laybourn has authored 25 publications and received numerous research grants, averaging over $200,000 in grants each year. In 1998-99, Laybourn received the Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award in the College of Natural Sciences. He also received the CSU Cermak Advising Award in 2005 and was nominated by his students for the Eddy Teaching Award in 2007. He has helped develop core curriculum for several undergraduate courses and a Colorado-wide K-12 outreach program. When he’s not in the lab, Laybourn enjoys camping, fishing, skiing, sledding, hiking, biking, scuba and free diving, sailing, woodworking, playing the piano, and in his spare time, reading.

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Meet others who participate in Fort Collins Science Cafe and other science meetings in Colorado. For information visit: http://science.meetup.com/93/