Frontiers of Science virtual talk

‘Coexisting with COVID’ is the latest in the Los Alamos virtual series

Taos County had moved to yellow. Vaccines (and bundles of hope) are on their way. But mutant COVID-19 strains are growing, and with them, the number of questions we all have. Luckily, we live in New Mexico, a state known for its green chile, its hot air balloons and its science. That means Los Alamos National Laboratories is here to help.

On Wednesday (Feb. 24), fellows at Los Alamos National Laboratories will be hosting “Coexisting with COVID-19: Disease forecasting and science.” The free, opento-all virtual discussion will focus on what the scientific community has learned about the coronavirus, from the big picture — the scientific outlook for humanity’s relationship with the virus postinoculation — to the smallest of details — an examination of the virus at the genomic level.

This installment of the ongoing Los Alamos series will also include a presentation from statistical modeling expert Nick Hengartner, former leader of the Theoretical Biology and Biophysics group. Hengartner will explain his work with one of the few groups of researchers in the world devoted to the mathematical modeling and computational analysis of problems in cellular and molecular biology. In very real terms, that means they work at understanding the function of and potential treatment for diseases such as HIV, influenza and hepatitis. Their work also includes immune system modeling.

The event will include a Q&A with the public and a presentation about Los Alamos National Labs’ efforts with COVID-19.

This is just the latest in Los Alamos’ quarterly Frontiers in Science (FIS). Despite being (always) socially distanced, these virtual events have become very popular. The last FIS talk, “The Mars Perseverance Rover” had more than 700 attendees.

For more information on attending the event, visit lanl.gov.