CCBIO Seminar – Frances Balkwill
Welcome to the CCBIO seminar series in the fall term of 2024. Open to all in auditorium 4, BBB. No registration necessary. Speaker is Professor Frances Balkwill OBE, FMedSci, Centre for Tumour Microenvironment, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, UK. Title: "Cells are Us – experiences in science communication and public engagement." Join us also for pizza in the hallway afterwards!
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Speaker: Professor Frances Balkwill OBE, FMedSci, Centre for Tumour Microenvironment, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, UK.
Fran Balkwill is Professor of Cancer Biology at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, and Deputy Centre Lead in the Centre for Tumour Microenvironment. She is especially interested in translating knowledge of cancer biology into new biological treatments for cancer. Much of her work focuses on the tumour microenvironment of ovarian cancer. After publishing a multi-level profile of the human ovarian cancer microenvironment, her lab has developed a platform of new mouse ovarian cancer models as well as human multi-cellular tissue culture models. They are now using these to research biological therapies that may prevent relapse and increase patient survival.
Title: Cells are Us – experiences in science communication and public engagement
Host: Lars A. Akslen
Where: Auditorium 4, BB-building
When: December 12, 2024 at 14.30-15.30
No registration necessary.
Abstract: Since her first postdoctoral position, Fran Balkwill has had a parallel career in public engagement and informal science learning; this will be the focus of her talk. Fran will describe her experience of science journalism and writing science books for children. She will also explain how she founded and directs an informal biomedical science learning centre, Centre of the Cell which was the first science centre be located within biomedical research laboratories. Centre of the Cell seeks to positively impact on educational, career and health choices of young people and families with its digital interactive STEM Pod, workshops and shows in Neuron Pod, outreach, mentoring and volunteering opportunities. There have been more than 254,000 participants in Centre of the Cell activities since opening in September 2009.