MƒA teachers can register for this event on the Small-World Network. Other guests can register here.
Gerald D. Fischbach Auditorium
160 Fifth Avenue, 2nd Floor
The MƒA Thursday Think Speaker Series brings accomplished speakers who dive into cutting-edge topics in STEM education to MƒA. These talks, held once a month throughout the school year, invite MƒA teachers and the general public to learn and engage with these thought leaders and professionals in mathematics, science, and education.
The sting of a jellyfish, the deadly touch of a blue-ringed octopus, and the piercing harpoon of a cone snail—what do these three have in common? Each animal transforms physical warfare into biochemical warfare through the production and use of venom. Venom has evolved in ~15-35% of the animal kingdom—across air, land, and sea. Why is it so pervasive, and what have scientists learned from studying it?
In this talk, Dr. Mandë Holford presents venom’s scientific path from mollusks to medicine, describing venom’s evolution in terebrid snails and cephalopods and discusses venomic breakthroughs in therapeutic discoveries. Dr. Holford also shares classroom resources to bring science alive and position students as scientists.
Dr. Mandë Holford is a Professor in Chemistry and Biochemistry at Hunter College and The CUNY Graduate Center, with scientific appointments at the American Museum of Natural History and Weill Cornell Medicine. Her research integrates chemistry and biology to examine venoms and venomous animals as agents of change and innovation in evolution and manipulation of cellular physiology. She is active in science education, advancing the public understanding of science and science diplomacy. She co-founded Killer Snails, LLC, an award-winning EdTech learning games company that uses extreme creatures, like venomous marine snails, as a conduit to advance scientific learning in K-12 classrooms. She received a 2023 NIH Pioneer Award, an NSF CAREER Award, and was elected Champion Young Scientist and 2020 Sustainability Pioneer by the World Economic Forum.
