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We will delve into the diverse and complex realm of viruses. We all carry bits and pieces of ancient viruses in our genome. Could they protect us from infection today? And how do we actually make our mind up if we trust a virus vaccine or not? And how can this knowledge help to make us trust more?
Studying ancient viruses
Ms Emma Harding
(PhD Candidate, UNSW Sydney)
Ancient viruses very hard to study, as they don't leave behind physical fossils. Endogenous viral elements (EVEs) are pieces of ancient viruses left behind in our DNA. We can study EVEs to understand how viruses have evolved over millions of years.
Emma is a third year PhD candidate and UNSW Sydney and is a Women in maths and science champion. Emma is passionate about science communication and has written articles for science magazines and organised incursions with primary and high school students about STEM.
Emma is a third year PhD candidate and UNSW Sydney and is a Women in maths and science champion. Emma is passionate about science communication and has written articles for science magazines and organised incursions with primary and high school students about STEM.
Trust: A double-edged sword in a Pandemic
Rabia Khan
(Epidemiologist, The George Institute)
How essential is trust in preventing the spread of COVID-19? Recent research on the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that the correlation between trust and compliance with outbreak containment measures is more complex than previously thought.
Rabia is a Disease detective. With 20 years of experience working across the world, Rabia has been solving complex health problems using data and science. These include the Covid-19 pandemic, vaccine hesitancy, antibiotic resistance, and air pollution.
Rabia is a Disease detective. With 20 years of experience working across the world, Rabia has been solving complex health problems using data and science. These include the Covid-19 pandemic, vaccine hesitancy, antibiotic resistance, and air pollution.
Looking for hidden cases of COVID-19
Dr Rena Hirani
(Senior Research Fellow, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood)
How can we determine how far the virus causing COVID-19 has spread? Testing samples collected for other purposes, we can look for antibodies formed after infection to find hidden cases and provide evidence for effective health interventions.
Rena completed her PhD in 2006 at the University of Adelaide in the field of genetics and biochemistry. She has been working on blood transfusion safety for 10 years and provides evidence to improve clinical practice across the nation.
Rena completed her PhD in 2006 at the University of Adelaide in the field of genetics and biochemistry. She has been working on blood transfusion safety for 10 years and provides evidence to improve clinical practice across the nation.
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