Secret Science Club Presents Structural Biologist Kevin Gardner

The human body is made of trillions of cells. Inside each cell, it’s as busy as the subway system with a dismaying array of routes, signals, and ever-moving parts. Exploring these teeny-tiny living labyrinths is the mission of modern-day micronauts like Kevin Gardner.

A biochemist and biophysicist, Kevin Gardner has been unlocking the secrets inside cells for over two decades. As he dives into this microscopic world, he visualizes how all-important cellular proteins look in three dimensions and studies how they react to different stimuli—all with the goal of learning how the human body works and finding new cures for diseases.

At the next Secret Science Club, Dr. Gardner asks:

–How do cells—bacteria, plant, and human—sense what is going on in the world around them?

–What role does light play in the world of cells? What are “optogenetic tools”? How do they turn genes on and off?

–How can understanding a cell’s reaction to stimuli, such as light and oxygen levels, be used to discover new biotech tools and cancer treatments?

BEFORE & AFTER

–Imbibe our macroscopic cocktail of the night, the Inner Space

–Sway to bio-themed tunes and feel the grooves at the cellular level

–Stick around for the scintillating Q&A

Kevin Gardner is the Einstein Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the City College of New York, and he is the Director of the Structural Biology Initiative at CUNY’s Advanced Science Research Center.