Oregon State University - Cascades’ Science Pubs are where community members can meet some of OSU’s leading researchers and learn firsthand about the impact of their work and discoveries.
In the upcoming Science Pub, Rebecca Vega-Thurber, an associate professor in OSU’s College of Science will explore the worldwide decline of coral reefs and her research on how microbes influence reef health. The Science Pub will take place on Tuesday, July 19 at McMenamins in Bend.
A microbiologist, Vega-Thurber leads the Rebecca Vega-Thurber Lab at OSU. The lab investigates how bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms interact with and regulate marine ecosystems. The lab’s current projects focus on tropical reef and deep-sea ecosystems, and have taken Vega-Thurber underwater to reefs in the Red Sea, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
Vega-Thurber earned bachelor’s degrees at University of California Santa Cruz and a Ph.D. in biological sciences from Stanford University. Her work has appeared in media outlets including Science Nation, CBS This Morning, NBC News and The Guardian, and also garnered a mention on The Colbert Report. She is currently the director the Global Coral Microbiome Project, an international collaborative project aimed at evaluating the microbiome of coral species that span the entire coral tree of life and are found in different habitats across the planet.
In addition to her presentation, the Science Pub will offer scenes from “Saving Atlantis,” a documentary about the Global Coral Microbiome Project.
Science Pubs take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Networking and food and beverage service begin at 5:30 p.m., and the presentation begins at 6:30 p.m. Science Pubs are free to community members, but reservations are required. Space is limited to 100 guests. Register by 5:00 p.m. the day prior to each Science Pub at http://www.osucascades.edu/sciencepubs.
About OSU-Cascades: Oregon State University’s branch campus in Bend, Ore., features outstanding faculty in degree programs that reflect Central Oregon’s vibrant economy and abundant natural resources. Nearly 20 undergraduate majors, 30 minors and options, and four graduate programs include computer science, energy systems engineering, kinesiology, hospitality management, and tourism and outdoor leadership. The branch campus expanded to a four-year university in fall 2015; its new campus will open in fall 2016.