Is it getting hot in here?

Dr. Andrea Copping of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory explains how our region will experience the extremes of global climate change earlier than other parts of the world, and sums up the potential impact in one word: WATER

At the May breakfast of the Seattle Science & Technology Discovery Series, Dr. Andrea Copping, Senior Program Manager in PNNL’s Marine Sciences Division, explained the impacts of global climate change on the Pacific Northwest region. Citing our proximity to the Pacific Ocean, she predicted that the Northwest will experience the effects of global climate change sooner and more intensely than many other places.

The number-one issue related to climate change facing the western United States? Water. As temperatures rise, the supply and quality of fresh water – a finite resource – will be affected. With the decrease in snowmelt feeding the Columbia River basin and parts of the Odessa aquifer declining 10 feet per year, there is already cause for concern here in Washington. Because there is no short-term fix and the demand for water and energy will continue to rise as the population increases, Dr. Copping stressed the importance of pursuing strategies to mitigate the impacts and improve data collection and modeling to better forecast the effects of global climate change in our state.

Did you know...?

• The Northern and Southern hemispheres will experience global climate change in different ways. For example, with more land mass, the North will see a steeper increase in temperature.
• Pacific Northwest snow packs have begun melting 1-4 weeks earlier over the past three decades. An increase in temperature of 2-3 degrees centigrade could decrease our snow pack 50-70% by the year 2050.
• Climate change will bring about extremes at both ends of the thermometer: not only will we experience a greater number of really hot days in summer, but we will also see an increase in the number of frost days in winter.
• Sea level in Western Washington could rise by as much as three feet in 50 years.

June preview:
Dr. Leo Stamatatos, Full Member, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, will be featured at the final breakfast of the 2006-07 season of the Seattle Discovery Series on June 8th. Dr. Stamatatos will explain how computational biology is used to create novel vaccine designs.

Discover Series members: If you have not registered for the 2007 State of Technology Luncheon featuring a keynote conversation with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on May 31st, our TA Patron sponsorship package includes two tickets for reserved seating at the luncheon and one complimentary membership in the Science & Technology Discovery Series for the 2007-08 season. Check this deal out now!

Coming soon... Check your inbox for information about our stellar lineup of speakers for the 2007-08 season and how you can sign up to get your monthly helping of science and technology for breakfast!

The Science & Technology Discovery Series in Seattle is sponsored by:
AH&T, Inc., Perkins Coie, and Swedish Medical Center.

Bracing for bird flu?

Dr. Maxine Hayes of the Washington State Department of Health delivers some plain talk about preparing for a pandemic.

Washington State Health Officer Dr. Maxine Hayes educated members about the potential for a flu pandemic and what government, the private sector, and the general public can do to respond to the threat, at the April 13th breakfast of the Seattle Science & Technology Discovery Series. Pointing out that there were three influenza pandemics in the 20th century, she noted that ours is the first generation to plan for pandemic flu and the severe disruption that it entails in an increasingly interdependent world. Dr. Hayes concluded her presentation by emphasizing that non-pharmacological responses will be most important in limiting the spread of flu when – not if – we are faced with the next pandemic.

Did you know...?

• Infectious disease is the #1 killer of humans. A pandemic is a large epidemic of disease occurring on several continents at the same time.
• While pandemic flu is garnering most of the attention, seasonal flu kills approximately 36,000 people in the United States each year.
• In the event of a pandemic, an estimated 30% of the population will not be able to go to work. Because 85% of our infrastructure is held by the private sector – not government – it is critical for the public and private sectors to work together now to ensure we can maintain continuity in the event of an outbreak.
• Among the non-pharmacological approaches that will be essential to slow the spread of pandemic flu: public understanding of and voluntary compliance with “social distancing,” isolation and quarantine, including school closures, working from home, and cancellation of public gatherings.

For more information on pandemic flu preparedness, visit www.doh.state.wa.gov.

The podcast of Dr. Hayes' presentation is available on the Technology Alliance web site.

Science & Technology Discovery Series is sponsored by:
AH&T, Perkins Coie, and Swedish Medical Center.

Reverse-Engineering Nature’s Robots

Seattle Discovery Series members are abuzz over Dr. Tom Daniel’s presentation on the study of neural systems and flight control in insects.

“No better robots exist on the planet than natural ones,” observed Dr. Tom Daniel, Professor and Joan & Richard Komen Endowed Chair in Biology at the University of Washington at the February 9th breakfast of the Seattle Science & Technology Discovery Series. Dr. Daniel was explaining why the study of motion in biology, from the cellular level right on up to the whole animal, is such an important and interesting field. Dr. Daniel, whose research focuses on motion control in insects such as hawk moths, pointed out how the study of motion provides clues to how neuro-muscular systems work, and that to understand many diseases requires an understanding of movement. He then examined the potential applications – and implications – of his research and the important innovations that could emerge from the study of motion in biology.

Did you know...?

• The study of motion in biology is giving rise to new disciplines and technologies, such as neuro-prosthetics and more stable robots modeled on natural movement.
• Researchers have created a neurochip that can both record and stimulate flight movement in insects. They continue to work on ways to power the device biologically, instead of through conventional power sources.
• A tiny structure called the Johnston's organ, just above a moth's head at the base of the antenna, contains mechanosensors that allow the organ to function like a gyroscope.

The discovery of the hawk moth's gyrosopic function of its antennae was recently published in the February 9th edition of Science magazine.

The PODCAST of Dr. Daniel’s presentation is available on the Technology Alliance web site.

Science & Technology Discovery Series is sponsored by:
AH&T, Perkins Coie, and Swedish Medical Center.

Genetics 101

Dr. Bassem Bejjani explains how the study of genes and the development of new technologies can lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of disease.

The first Science & Technology Discovery Series of 2007 featured a presentation by Dr. Bassem Bejjani, Research Professor at Washington State University Spokane and the Medical Director of Signature Genomics Laboratories, LLC. Dr. Bejjani’s research at WSU Spokane focuses on rare eye diseases such as congenital glaucoma and keratoconus.

By gaining an understanding of how a single gene disorder can cause significant problems in eye development, he explained, researchers will be able to better understand healthy development. Offering Discovery Series members a crash course in genomics, Dr. Bejjani highlighted the many ways the field is having an impact on medicine – from diagnosis, to prognosis, to a more rational approach to the design of therapeutics – and the exciting promise this area of research holds for the future.

Did you know...?

• Each year in the United States, approximately 120,000 babies are born with a birth defect or suspected genetic disorder.
• Technologies like “FISH” – fluorescence in situ hybridization – and microarrays aid in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. FISH enables researchers to divide chromosomes into single strands to examine specific genes. Microarray technology can be used to identify which genes are over-expressed or under-expressed in patients who have cancer.
• Most major drugs are effective in only 25-60% of patients, and more than 2 million cases of adverse drug reaction occur in the U.S. every year. Pharmacogenomics could provide an answer to these issues: for example, a new microarray that profiles an individual’s ability to metabolize drugs will help doctors to more accurately determine the safe and effective dosage for a particular patient.

The PODCAST of Dr. Bejjani’s presentation is available on the Technology Alliance web site.

Science & Technology Discovery Series is sponsored by:
Armfield, Harrison & Thomas, Inc., Perkins Coie, and Swedish Medical Center

Environmental Effects on Fertility

Dr. Patricia Hunt explores how a commonly used chemical with hormone-like effects may impact human reproduction.

On November 10th the Science & Technology Discovery Series welcomed Dr. Patricia Hunt, the Edward R. Meyer Distinguished Professor in Life and Environmental Science at Washington State University. Dr. Hunt’s work has focused on the relationship between maternal age and chromosome errors in human pregnancies, but a laboratory accident changed the course of her research. After observing a dramatic and unexpected increase in chromosome abnormalities in mice used as control animals in an experiment, Dr. Hunt turned her attention to damaged plastic cages and water bottles, and the chemical bisphenol A.

Bisphenol A, which is commonly found in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, has been shown to have hormone-like effects on the body. Dr. Hunt is trying to discover how exposure to this chemical can impact chromosome development through multiple generations.

Did you know...?

• An estimated 20% of human pregnancies have a chromosome abnormality.
• Human egg development begins in the womb, where a female at 8 weeks of gestation begins making the eggs that she will ovulate as an adult.
• More than 6 billion pounds of bisphenol A are produced each year. The chemical was conceived originally as a synthetic estrogen.

The podcast of Dr. Hunt's presentation is available on the Technology Alliance web site.

Science & Technology Discovery Series is sponsored by:
Armfield, Harrison & Thomas, Inc., Perkins Coie, and Swedish Medical Center.

Cancer Cells in 3D

Dr. Alan Nelson shares with Discovery Series members how new lung cell screening technology will enable early detection of the #1 cancer killer worldwide.

The exciting 2006-2007 season of the Science & Technology Discovery Series continued on Friday, October 13th in Seattle with a presentation by Dr. Alan Nelson, chairman and CEO of VisionGate, Inc. Dr. Nelson explained how VisionGate’s LuCED (Lung Cancer Early Detection) test can be used for regular, cost-effective screening of high-risk patients using the company’s unique Cell-CT platform. This new technology uses hundreds of three-dimensional images of cells to accurately determine the likelihood of a patient having early stage lung cancer, enabling earlier diagnosis and intervention and saving lives that otherwise would be lost to this killer disease.

Did you know...?

• More than 162,000 Americans will die of lung cancer this year, and 21 million are deemed to be at “high risk” of developing the disease. An estimated one million new cases worldwide are diagnosed each year.
• There is no evidence to suggest that genetics plays a role in determining whether a person may develop lung cancer.
• Most lung cancer cases are not diagnosed until the disease is in the later stages. For those patients who receive an early diagnosis, the 5-year survival rate is greater than 75%.

Dr. Nelson’s PowerPoint presentation is available as a PDF on the Technology Alliance web site.

Science & Technology Discovery Series is sponsored by:
Armfield, Harrison & Thomas, Inc., Perkins Coie, and Swedish Medical Center.