“Our Endless Battle Against Infectious Diseases: Winners, Losers, and Where We Go from Here” is the title of a program to be offered on Wednesday, October 19 as part of the Technology Symposium Series and the Society of Pennsylvania College of Technology, presented in partnership with the Notre Dame Club of Greater Williamsport.
Jeff Schorey, George B. Craig Jr. Collegiate Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame and guest speaker for the university’s Hesburgh Lecture Series, will share his expertise on the topic at 7 p.m. in the Klump University Center Auditorium on the main campus of Penn College. The program is free and open to the public.
Schorey will discuss the human immune system and how it works to protect us from infection. It will also discuss the tools being developed to combat new and existing human pathogens. Finally, he will examine how our problems in controlling infectious diseases largely stem from human activities – as well as how changes in our behaviors could have a significant effect in limiting future pandemics.
The Hesburgh Lecture Series – named in honor of the Reverend Theodore Hesburgh, longtime president of the university, and featuring lectures primarily presented by tenured professors – showcases the depth and breadth of Notre Dame’s academic expertise in research and teaching. The series continues the mission of the University Alumni Association to provide meaningful continuing education opportunities for Notre Dame alumni and friends.
Schorey, who holds a doctorate from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, joined the Notre Dame faculty in 1998 after serving as a postdoctoral fellow and medical instructor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Schorey is also director of the interdisciplinary graduate program in biomedical sciences at Notre Dame College of Sciences. His research focuses on mycobacterial pathogenesis, with particular emphasis on Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis. He uses various immunological tools and animal models to dissect the host-pathogen interactions that determine the outcome of infection.
His lab has used basic research to develop new diagnostic and vaccine platforms for tuberculosis. He has published over 70 peer-reviewed scientific papers and is the recipient of numerous federal and foundation research grants, as well as the Reverend Edmund P. Joyce, CSC, Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching at Notre Dame.
The Technology and Society Colloquium Series at Penn College honors Daniel J. Doyle, professor emeritus and winner of the college’s 1984 Veronica M. Muzic Master Teacher Award. It features presentations from renowned authors and scholars and invites the public to reflect on the impact of technology on our society.
Penn College is a national leader in applied technology education. For more information, email the admissions office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.
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