WSU faculty host free international seminar examining vector‑borne disease

Kelly Brayton (left) and Dana Shaw (right), faculty members of WSU’s Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology department

Two Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine faculty members have organized the second wave of a free, virtual seminar series centering on vector‑borne disease.

Every Friday, the Vector Biology 2020 Series II will feature nine speakers from agencies, labs and universities throughout the United States.

The seminar series is held via Zoom and was originally started by faculty at the University of Maryland as a way for vector biologists to communicate during the COVID‑19 pandemic.

However, due to the high attendance at the seminars, Professor Kelly Brayton and Assistant Professor Dana Shaw of WSU’s Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology department have continued the series.

So far, more there have been more than 300 registrants from around the world.

“This was a way to continue hearing about and communicating recent findings in our field when the COVID‑19 pandemic caused the cancellation of numerous conferences and seminars,” Shaw said. “The outcome ended up making science very accessible to a worldwide audience—this is the reason we are continuing the series despite being able to slowly get back in the lab.”

Registration for this series is free and seminars are every Friday at 9 a.m. Pacific Time from July 17 through Sept. 11. Featured speakers include: Geoff Attardo, University of California, Davis; Michael Povelones, University of Pennsylvania; Kristin Michel, Kansas State University; Lucas Tirloni, Rocky Mountain Labs, National Institutes of Health; George Dimopoulos, Johns Hopkins; Monika Gulia‑Nuss, University of Nevada, Reno; Job Lopez, Baylor College of Medicine; Shaden Kamhawi, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH; Marshall Bloom, Rocky Mountain Labs, NIH. View the complete schedule online.

Please contact Dana Shaw (dana.shaw@wsu.edu) or Kelly Brayton (kbrayton@wsu.edu) for more information.

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