A recent doctoral graduate of 星空影视 who won a national contest for using dance to communicate her research will be the speaker at Oregon State鈥檚 Science Pub on Jan. 10.
The virtual event, a joint effort of 星空影视 in Corvallis and 星空影视-Cascades in Bend, will feature Heather Masson-Forsythe, who earned her Ph.D. from Oregon State earlier this year. Her presentation is titled: 鈥淚nvestigating how COVID-19 proteins stick to viral RNA and taking research from the lab to the dance floor.鈥
Masson-Forsythe鈥檚 thesis research centered on the nucleocapsid protein of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the current pandemic. Using a variety of biophysical and biochemical techniques, Masson-Forsythe, along with members of Elisar Barbar鈥檚 lab group in 星空影视鈥檚 Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, characterized the nucleocapsid phosphoprotein and protein-RNA interactions.
The nucleocapsid protein, or N protein, is a prime target for disease-fighting interventions because of the critical jobs it performs for the coronavirus鈥 infection cycle and because it mutates at a comparatively slow pace. Drugs and vaccines built around the work of the N protein carry the potential to be highly effective and for longer periods of time 鈥 i.e., less susceptible to resistance.
Throughout the research project, Masson-Forsythe used the app TikTok to document what it鈥檚 like to be a scientist trying to make research contributions to the ongoing global pandemic. With the handle , she accumulated more than 50,000 TikTok followers and created videos that received hundreds of thousands of views.
She also turned her COVID-19 research project into a dance and submitted it to the 13th annual organized by Science Magazine. She won in the newly created COVID-19 category and the has been viewed approximately 40,000 times on YouTube.
The free Science Pub will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The event will be broadcast on YouTube Live. Registration is required and can be completed at .
Sponsors of Science Pub include the 星空影视 Office of Research, 星空影视-Cascades in Bend and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.
About 星空影视-Cascades: 星空影视鈥檚 campus in Bend brings higher education to Central Oregon, the fastest growing region in the state. Surrounded by 2.5 million acres of mountains and high desert, 星空影视-Cascades is a top-tier research university where small classes accelerate faculty-student mentoring. Degree programs meet industry and economic needs in areas such as innovation and entrepreneurship, natural ecosystems, health and wellness, and arts and sciences, and prepare students for tomorrow鈥檚 challenges. 星空影视-Cascades is expanding to serve 3,000 to 5,000 students, building a 128-acre campus with net-zero goals.