Dr. Edward Eisenstein, University of Maryland, will speak at the November dinner meeting on November 19th at The Barking Dog in Bethesda. His talk is entitled, “Bringing Science to the Public: Outreach Matters.”
Edward Eisenstein is an Investigator at the University System of Maryland’s (USM) Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) and on the faculty of the Fischell Department of Bioengineering at the University of Maryland. He teaches synthetic biology and biological engineering to bioengineering students at College Park. His research at IBBR-Shady Grove is focused on developing plants as manufacturing systems for important compounds by elucidating their genetic and biochemical capacity for biosynthesis, developing broad spectrum disease resistance strategies in plants by re-engineering their innate immune system, and enhancing the economical biomanufacturing of protein therapeutics by developing new bacterial and mammalian host cells through genome engineering. He also has considerable experience in higher education administration, serving as Associate Director of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute’s (UMBI) Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology (CARB) from 1996-2000, and Director from 2001-2008, as well as Acting President of UMBI during its reorganization in 2009-2010. At CARB, he developed a passion for science outreach, initiating an internship-based STEM program with Montgomery County Public Schools, which has provided over 150 high school students with intensive research experiences in biotechnology. Current outreach efforts involve developing Science Cafés for young adults and partnering with various stakeholders to help K-12 teachers and students help meet next generation science standards.
