Seminar and Educational Events
Every weekday at noon, the SMART Program hosts a seminar presented by a distinguished faculty member. More than 50 faculty members speak to SMART participants every summer.
SMART is the only summer program in the nation to have so many great faculty members give a noon seminar. There are eight general topics around which seminars are organized. Faculty members will share exciting advances in their area of experience. Participants will learn about science from the people who made the discoveries. Seminars are complemented by one to two evening events each week. Exciting speakers talk about their experiences and how biomedical research has changed their lives or we show movies about scientific discoveries, like "The Double Helix", The Medicine Man", and "And The Band Played On".
Topics, Speakers and Educational Events*
Week 1 Focus: The Research Environment
Functioning in a Lab: Practical and Ethical Issues, Gayle Slaughter, Ph.D.
Gene Structure and Expression, Richard Kelley, Ph.D.
Animal Models of Disease: p53 Over and Under Expression, Larry Donehower, Ph.D.
Welcome Barbecue (vegetarian options)**
Week 2 Focus: Molecular Biology
Evolution of Research; Prostate Growth Inhibitor, David Rowley, Ph.D.
The Double Helix Starring Jeff Goldblum**
Disproving Your Own Hypothesis, Frank Kretzer, Ph.D.
Research Discussion Groups(RDG)
RNA Processing: Understanding a Nobel Prize Discovery, Sue Berget, Ph.D.
Molecular Biology in Clinical Diagnosis, Jean Bernard Durand, M.D.
Week 3 and 4 Focus: Molecular Genetics and Gene Medicine
Steroid Hormone Action, Bert O’Malley, M.D.
Medical School Application Workshop**
Sequencing the Human Genome, George Weinstock Ph.D.
RDG
Epigenetics in Biology and Medicine, Art Beaudet, M.D.
Stem Cell Research, Jeffrey Rosen, Ph.D. and Thomas Zwaka, M.D., Ph.D.
Nonviral Gene Delivery Systems, Nancy Smyth Templeton, Ph.D.
Science and Public Policy William R. Brinlkey, Ph.D. Dean and Vice-President**
Gene Medicine to Treat Diabetes/Obesity Lawrence Chan, M.D.
RDG
Hunting Genes that Cause Disease, Huda Zoghbi, M.D.
Graduate School Night**
Gene Therapy: Goals and Strategies, Malcolm Brenner, M.D.
Week 5 Focus: Signal Transduction
Ion Channels. Receptors and Addiction, Mariella De Baisi, Ph.D.
Lorenzo’s Oil Starring Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte**
HIV Receptors in the Immune System, Dorothy Lewis, Ph.D.
Bed Number Ten with author Sue Baier**
RDG
Post-translational Modification of Proteins, Nancy Weigel, Ph.D.
siRNA: Potential, & Problems in Research & Therapeutics, Rebecca MacCorkle, Ph.D.
JoyAnn Philips-Rohan and Gayle Slaughter, Ph.D.
Week 6 Focus: Cell Division and Cancer
Cancer and Genomic Instability, William R. Brinkley, Ph.D.
Forefront Technologies to Study Cancer, Suzanne Fuqua, Ph.D.
Week 7 Focus: Infectious Organisms and Immune System Response
Solving Viral Structures, BVV Prasad, Ph.D.
And the Band Played On Starring Matthew Modine**
Reconstituting the Immune System, William Shearer, M.D., Ph.D.
Living with AIDS with Tom Anthony**
RDG
M.D./Ph.D. Program Reception Detecting Agents of Biological Warfare, Ralph Feigin, M.D.**
Vaccine Development and Testing, Pedro Piedra, M.D.
Week 8 Focus: Computational and Interdisciplinary Approaches to Futuristic Medicine
Rational Drug Design, Florante Quiocho, Ph.D.
The President’s Perspective, Peter Traber, M.D., Pres. CEO, BCM**
Psyching Up to Succeed, Gayle Slaughter, Ph.D.**
Balancing Families & Careers Charlene Dewey, M.D. & Wayne Riley, M.D., MPH**
Analysis of Intermediate Resolution Protein Structures, Matt Baker, Ph.D.
Graduate School Application Workshop**
RDG
Noninvasive Methods of Diagnosis, Joel Morrisett, Ph.D.
Enhancing Cardiovascular Function, J.B. Durand, M.D.**
Week 9 Focus: Studying and Using the Brain
Learning and Memory, Ron Davis, Ph.D.
Functional MRI Explores the Last Frontier: The Brain, Robia Pautler, Ph.D.
Frontiers of Neuroscience, Mike Friedlander, Ph.D.
SMART Student Presentations (throughout the day for two days)
Finding/ Funding Your Niche Gayle Slaughter, Ph.D.
* Subject to change without notice
**Evening Event