MicrobeWorld Video (audio only)

By American Society for MicrobiologyEducation

MicrobeWorld Video (audio only) episodes

March 20, 2009 MWV Episode 27 - ASMCUE
The American Society for Microbiology Conference for Undergraduate Educators (ASMCUE) is an interactive four-day conference on scientific updates and effective teaching strategies. Now in its 16th year, the conference attracts over 300 microbiology and biology educators.
Educators come from colleges, universities and international institutions to learn and share the latest information in the biological sciences and education research.
The conference program includes plenary, concurrent, poster, and exhibit sessions. Participants engage in formal and informal small group discussions between colleagues all focused on the same goal: to improve teaching and learning in the biological sciences.
In this episode, we talk with Erica Suchman, Associate Professor, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, and Local Organizing Chair for the 2009 meeting. Erica talks about her attendance at the meeting for the past 12 years and the benefits of participating. Also featured are several participants at the ASMCUE 2008 held at Endicott College in Beverly, MA and ASMCUE's Education Director, Amy Chang, a co-founder of the Conference.
For more information about the conference or to view past proceedings, visit www.asmcue.org.
5 min
January 22, 2009 MWV Episode 26 - Germ Proof Your Kids
Parents are often presented with conflicting messages about germs and cleanliness. On the one hand, the news headlines warn us about dangerous "superbugs." On the other hand, there is growing concern that over-cleaning and excessive hygiene may weaken children's immune systems. Fortunately, there is real, vetted science available to help us understand how to best protect, without overprotecting, our kids.
In episode 26 of MicrobeWorld Video, we talk with Dr. Harley Rotbart, author of Germ Proof Your Kids: The Complete Guide to Protecting (without Overprotecting) Your Family from Infections. Dr. Rotbart, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at The University of Colorado and The Children's Hospital of Denver, has practiced, researched, and taught germ defense for the past 25 years. His new book serves as a resource for parents and health care providers to help put science back into the discussion of protecting kids from microscopic dangers. In addition to evaluating the traditional approaches to infection prevention (vaccines, antibiotics, etc.), Dr. Rotbart also analyzes the science behind Mom's advice about the effects of hygiene, nutrition, sleep, stress, exercise, and even wearing boots in the rain. It turns out Mom was right most of the time.
This video was filmed live at the Marian Koshland Science Museum in Washington, D.C. and in various locations around the DC metro area.
For more audio and video podcasts about microbiology, health and life science-related subjects, please visit www.microbeworld.org. If you would like to know more about Germ Proof Your Kids please visit www.germproofyourkids.com.
6 min
December 19, 2008 MWV Episode 25 - Bacteria Lab
What kinds of bacteria are growing in your sink or your refrigerator? How about on your keyboard at work? Does soap really reduce the amount of bacteria on your hands?
Dr. Keith Lampel of the Food and Drug Administration helps citizen scientists discover the world of bacteria in and around us.
Filmed at the Marian Koshland Science Museum in Washington, D.C., this two-part science lab kicked off with a hands-on activity in the museum to observe the invisible bacteria that are present all around us. Attendees were shown how to prepare samples in the museum and took lab supplies with them for further investigation in their homes, offices and schools. For the second part of program, participants shared their scientific endeavors from the previous week as Dr. Lampel answered their questions and discussed recent research at the FDA, new technologies, and new initiatives in food safety.
Dr. Keith Lampel is the Director of the Division of Microbiology within the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). His research interests include the development of rapid detection methods for food-borne pathogens using DNA-based technology, and identifying the genes in these bacteria that are involved in the development of disease.
7 min
November 26, 2008 MWV Episode 24 - An Iconography of Contagion
In this episode of MicrobeWorld Video we visit the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., for the opening of "An Iconography of Contagion," an art exhibition featuring more than 20 public health posters from the 1920s to the 1990s. Covering infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, AIDS, gonorrhea, and syphilis, the posters come from North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. This video features interviews with J.D. Talasek, Director of Cultural Programs of the National Academy of Sciences, and Michael Sappol, Ph.D., Curator-Historian for the National Library of Medicine, along with several of the opening's attendees, on their impressions and thoughts of how public health promotion and education have changed over the decades. The presentation of the posters along with comments provided by Talasek and Sappol provide insight into the interplay between the public's understanding of disease and society's values. The exhibit reflects the fears and concerns of the time and also the medical knowledge that was available. Considered an art form, many of the posters are beautiful and entertaining, but during their heyday, they sought to educate people on matters of life and death. The exhibition is free and open to the public weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until December 19, 2008. The National Academy of Sciences is located at 2101 Constitution Ave., NW, in Washington, D.C. Visitors enter at 2100 C St., N.W. The gallery is located upstairs. For those who can't make it to the Nation's Capitol, but would like more information, please feel free to download the exhibit's brochure.
8 min
November 10, 2008 MWV Episode 23 - Antibiotics: Is a Strong Offense the Best Defense? Part 3
In the final episode of this 3 part video series on how to optimize antibiotic use and how to minimize the emergence of drug resistant pathogens, Dr. Linda Tollefson, Assistant Commissioner for Science at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, goes in depth on the use of antimicrobial drugs in agriculture, their efficacy, and adverse human health consequences. Dr. Stuart Levy, professor of Molecular Biology and Microbiology at Tufts University School of Medicine, discusses policy, regulatory and funding issues around antibiotic resistance. Both Dr. Tollefson and Dr. Levy take a handful of questions from the audience.
The series, "Antibiotics: Is a Strong Offense the Best Defense?" was filmed on September 18, 2008 at the Koshland Science Museum in Washington, D.C.
37 min
October 30, 2008 MWV Episode 22 - Antibiotics: Is a Strong Offense the Best Defense? Part 2
On September 18, 2008 at the Koshland Science Museum in Washington, D.C., Dr. Stuart Levy, professor of Molecular Biology and Microbiology at Tufts University School of Medicine and Dr. Linda Tollefson, Assistant Commissioner for Science at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, discussed how to optimize antibiotic use and how to minimize the emergence of drug resistant pathogens.
In part 2 of this 3 part video series, Dr. Levy discusses how antibiotic resistance develops, the development practices drug companies employ when producing antimicrobials, and how this process may change in the future. Dr. Tollefson outlines how the FDA is encouraging the development of antibiotics in an industry that is mostly focussed on manufacturing drugs for chronic illnesses.
Dr. Levy is Professor of Molecular Biology and Microbiology at Tufts University School of Medicine where he is the Director of the Center for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistance. He directs research on mechanisms of bacterial antibiotic resistance. Stuart Levy is also Staff Physician at the Tufts Medical Center and he also serves as the president of The International Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics.
Dr. Tollefson is Assistant Commissioner for Science at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). She previously served as Deputy Director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), where she led CVM's efforts to implement a risk-based approach to address antimicrobial resistance, fulfilling a 2001 Congressional mandate, and was instrumental in the founding of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System for Enteric Bacteria. Tollefson also served as Chief of Epidemiology in the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition where she successfully investigated numerous outbreaks of food borne disease and served as liaison to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
28 min
October 17, 2008 MWV Episode 21 - Antibiotics: Is a Strong Offense the Best Defense? Part 1
Will we become defenseless against bacteria? Will bacteria always find a way to infect and even kill us? The emergence of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria poses an enormous problem around the world. Scientists believe that the overuse of antibiotics is increasing the appearance of these pathogens. In the US, increasing casualties resulting from drug resistant staphylococcus infections received wide media attention.
While antibiotics only work on bacterial infections, many patients and doctors regard antibiotics as a front-line form of treating any type of infection. Antibiotics are often prescribed because the specific pathogen that is causing an illness is often difficult to determine. In some cases they are used as a preventative measure. But is this the best defense? Are there ways to beat bacteria at their own game?
On September 18, 2008 at the Koshland Science Museum in Washington, D.C., Dr. Stuart Levy, professor of Molecular Biology and Microbiology at Tufts University School of Medicine and Dr. Linda Tollefson, Assistant Commissioner for Science at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, discussed how to optimize antibiotic use and how to minimize the emergence of drug resistant pathogens.
In part 1 of this 3 part video series, Dr. Levy discusses the basics of microbial pathogens, bacteria, and antibiotic resistance. And, Dr. Tollefson outlines the various types and classes of antibiotic drugs, approved uses, and current levels of effectiveness.
Dr. Levy is Professor of Molecular Biology and Microbiology at Tufts University School of Medicine where he is the Director of the Center for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistance. He directs research on mechanisms of bacterial antibiotic resistance. Stuart Levy is also Staff Physician at the Tufts Medical Center and he also serves as the president of The International Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics.
Dr. Tollefson is Assistant Commissioner for Science at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). She previously served as Deputy Director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), where she led CVM's efforts to implement a risk-based approach to address antimicrobial resistance, fulfilling a 2001 Congressional mandate, and was instrumental in the founding of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System for Enteric Bacteria. Tollefson also served as Chief of Epidemiology in the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition where she successfully investigated numerous outbreaks of food borne disease and served as liaison to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
26 min
September 16, 2008 MWV Episode 20 - The Singing Toxicologist
He's been referred to as the "Elvis of E. coli", the "Sinatra of Salmonella," and in this episode of MicrobeWorld Video the "singing toxicologist." Whatever you call him, Carl Winter, Extension Food Toxicologist and Director of the FoodSafe Program at UC Davis, performs parodies of contemporary popular music by modifying lyrics to address food safety issues such as bacterial contamination, irradiation, biotechnology, government regulation, and pesticides. The goal of his songs is to provide science-based food safety information in a fun, accessible way. Thanks to a grant from the USDA, Dr. Winter is now studying how to integrate his music into traditional food safety education programs.
Dr. Winter's music goes beyond simply educating those who work with food and in this video he shares some of his tips to empower the everyday consumer looking to prevent the spread of foodborne illness.
For more information about food safety please visit the following sites:
foodsafe.ucdavis.edu
www.foodsafety.gov
www.usda.gov
6 min
August 18, 2008 MWV Episode 19 - West Nile Virus
West Nile virus entered the United States in 1999 and is now considered a seasonal epidemic that starts in the summer and continues into the fall. First isolated in Uganda in 1937, the virus can cause severe human meningitis or encephalitis in 1% of those infected. In 2007 the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported 124 fatalities. The rapid spread of West Nile virus has put local and state mosquito surveillance programs on the front line of public health and disease preparedness.
In this episode, MicrobeWorld Video interviews Dr. Jorge Arias, an expert in vector-borne diseases of the Americas. Arias currently serves as the Environmental Health Supervisor of the Fairfax County Health Department in Northern Virginia. In this role, he is responsible for directing the Disease-Carrying Insects Program which focuses on West Nile virus and Lyme disease.
For more information about West Nile Virus, please visit:
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westn...
National Pesticide Information Center - http://npic.orst.edu/wnv/
Fairfax County Health Department - http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hd/westn...
This episode was filmed at the Marian Koshland Science Museum, the Fairfax County Health Department, Huntley Meadows Park in Fairfax, Va., and the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
7 min
August 01, 2008 MWV Episode 18 - One Health
Ronald Atlas, former President for the American Society for Microbiology, discusses the new One Health Initiative that recognizes the inter-relationships among human, animal, and environmental health and seeks to enhance communication, cooperation, and collaboration in integrating these areas for the health and well-being of all species.
Development of the One Health Initiative began in 2007 with the American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA) efforts to strengthen communications and collaboration with colleagues in human medicine. The AVMA established a Task Force on this issue which released specific recommendations in June 2008. The American Medical Association (AMA) in June 2007 passed a resolution supporting the Initiative and strengthening collaboration between human and veterinary medicine in dealing with zoonotic diseases. Other endorsers include the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Medical Association, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Health (ASTMH), the American Phytopathological Society (APS), several smaller veterinary organizations, and over 300 individual scientists, including current and past leaders of the ASM.
14 min

About MicrobeWorld Video (audio only)

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A video podcast by the American Society for Microbiology that highlights the latest in microbiology, life science and biotechnology news. ASM is composed of over 42,000 scientists and health…