The UNM Department of Biology will host its 20th annual Research Day Friday, April 1. The keynote speaker for this year's Research Day is Dr. Lauren Meyers, professor, Section of Integrative Biology, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas–Austin. She will give the keynote lecture at 4 p.m. in Northrop Hall room 122. The annual event is a presentation of student research celebrating discovery and education in the biological sciences.

Beginning Thursday, March 31 (for Judges' Preview) through Research Day on Friday, April 1, student posters will be displayed in the hallways of the Biology Building (Castetter Hall). A silent auction and an open house will be held at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 31.

Meyers' work in the theoretical evolutionary biology area has yielded important insights into the diversity of certain classes of biological molecules and the ability of some viruses to rapidly evolve as they spread through human populations.

Her research group works on problems in two general areas including mathematical epidemiology and theoretical evolutionary biology. Over the last five years, her research group has been developing new network-based mathematical approaches for predicting the spread of infectious diseases and collaborating with public health officials in the U.S. and Canada to apply these methods to designing optimal control measures for respiratory diseases including influenza and SARS.

Research Day Schedule

Friday, April 1
9 – 11 a.m. - Judging of Student Posters, Session 1 (students with odd-numbered posters should be at their posters to take questions)

10 – 11:35 a.m. - Student Oral Presentations, Session 1, 100 Castetter Hall

Noon – 1 p.m. - Lunch, Basement of Castetter Hall

1 – 2:30 p.m. - Student Oral Presentations, Session 2, 100 Castetter Hall

1 – 3 p.m. - Judging of Student Posters, Session 2 (students with even-numbered posters should be at their posters to take questions)

4 – 5 p.m. - Keynote Lecture, Dr. Lauren Meyers, Northrup 122

5 – 5:30 p.m. - Awards Ceremony, Northrup 122

Media contact: Steve Carr (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu