Speakers Bureau: Living Longer and Healthier

Argonne speaking topics related to health include:

We've Mapped the Human Genome! So What? – This knowledge is not the end; it's the beginning. The next steps are to determine what the map means. Can we change the way we age? The way we look? What are the mechanisms of disease and how do we combat them? Tools at Argonne , like the Advanced Photon Source, are important to efforts to determine the structures and attack modes of viruses and bacteria, and to design medications to treat them.

Tracking Diseases Using Biochips – Mini-laboratories that permit thousands of tests to be done on a sample at one time, biochips are another powerful tool on the research workbench. Among other things, they enable us to track the way diseases spread and attack. They use our expanding knowledge of DNA structure as a forensic tool, enhancing the fight against crime. And they offer the ability to detect deadly viruses in the air around us.

The Fight against Re-emerging Diseases – Illnesses once thought conquered, such as tuberculosis and polio, are emerging again, particularly in poorer areas of countries such as Russia . Tools like the biochip can detect and minimize the impact of new strains of these killers. Talks can also look at precautions we each can take to protect our own health.

The Dangers of Radiation: Are They Overblown? – There are many different kinds of radiation, and they're all around us. Which ones are benign, which necessary and which dangerous? And what – if anything—do we need to do about them?

Handling Contamination – What the professionals do when something goes wrong, and what you should do until they get there. Covers chemical spills and radiation.

Workplace Issues

• Ergonomics – How to set up offices that keep their residents comfortable and productive.
• Health and Safety – Dealing with noise, solvents, lead, laser pointers, electricity and other potential dangers.

For more information or to request speakers, please contact the

Argonne Community Relations Office
630/252-5562
speakers@anl.gov

Please note: Speakers are engaged full-time at Argonne, so please give us at least three-week's notice before your event.