April 1, 2018 at 11:15 pm

Science Cafe | Algae: Friend or Foe, April 4

Science Café presents Dr. Morgan Vis discussing “Algae: Friend or Foe” on Wednesday, April 4, at 5 p.m. in the Baker Center Front Room Coffeehouse.

In addition to a lively conversation about algae, attendees will be encouraged to sample various algae cuisine.

Vis, Professor and Chair of Environmental & Plant Biology, sees the good in algae. In fact, many algae have important environmental roles, as well as economic uses, including as foods and food additives.

Dr. Morgan Vis

Her research focuses on the biology of freshwater red algae, as well as monitoring algae as surrogates for stream health. Freshwater red algae are a unique group of photosynthetic algae that have a worldwide distribution and inhabit high water quality streams, rivers and bogs.Vis’s research explores the evolutionary relationships among freshwater and marine red algae.She has discovered and named several new species, genera and families of the organisms.

“Determining the classification of an organism is the first step to understanding that organism,” Vis said. “All future science about that organism depends on making sure we get this right. Otherwise we are comparing apples to oranges.”

Watch live or later on A&S TV.

Sciencé Cafe events are held on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. in the Front Room at Baker University Center. They are free and open to students, faculty and staff. Science Café is a venue for students to share their interests informally during a conversation exchange in a friendly setting.

The Science Café is hosted by Dr. Sarah Wyatt, Professor of Environmental & Plant Biology and Vice President of the Ohio University Chapter of Sigma Xi, and Roxanne Malé-Brune, Director of Grant Development and Projects in the Office of the Vice President for Research and Creativity.

Science Café and Café Conversations are sponsored by the Office of Vice President for Research and Creativity and the Ohio University Chapter of Sigma Xi.