The seminars are open to the public. The first two, involving MUW student presentations, have already taken place. Students, who spent their summers doing research or were involved in an internship program, were given the opportunity to share their experiences with their fellow students. The remaining seminars will take place in the upcoming weeks.

“We always try to bring individuals from various disciplines and, through a seminar format, share information about science, mathematics, graduate or professional schools,” said Dr. Dorothy A. Kerzel, interim division head.

Some of the speakers have a direct connection with a particular field, while others provide information regarding summer research opportunities, graduate schools or professional schools.

The next seminar is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 30. The featured speaker is John Graham, who will elaborate on “Space Shuttle Operations.” Dr. Graham, who teaches at the University of Mississippi, received his master's in space studies from the University of North Dakota and has many years of experience with the United States Air Force.

“It should be an interesting presentation, because this topic would be of appeal to everybody, due to the successes and accidents in connection with the shuttle program,” Dr. Kerzel said.

On Tuesday, Oct. 28, the division will present its new faculty members. According to Dr. Kerzel, it is a good opportunity for students to get to know these individuals, their educational backgrounds, research interests, as well as the courses they teach.

Dr. Ross Whitwam, assistant professor of biology, will wrap up this semester’s seminars on Tuesday, Nov. 18, with his presentation “The Antibiotic Calicheamicin: It’ll Kill You, But It’s Fascinating.” The above came as a result of a research conducted at Sloan-Kettering Institute at NYC. The research involved the study of a toxic antibiotic produced by a bacterium. Dr. Whitwam and his colleagues were interested in studying the overall pathway involved in the production of this antibiotic.

“This particular antibiotic kills in very tiny amounts, so we had to be careful when working with it. Now we know all the genes involved in the process, so we can start modifying this pathway in order to create other antibiotics that are not toxic,” said Dr. Whitwam.

Dr. Kerzel said the MUW science and mathematics faculty members have a lot of strengths and experiences that do not fit in the curriculum. Therefore, the seminar is the best way to share this information.