A fondness for viruses and science communication
- D-CHAB
- LPC
Professor Vincent Racaniello (Columbia University) has not only made seminal discoveries in virology, he was also co-author of a very successful textbook and, as a well-known YouTuber, is now setting the bars for high-quality online science communication. As lecturer at the Richard R. Ernst Lecture 2022 on May 16, he will talk about the "Inordinate fondness for viruses" and discuss in a panel what makes good science communication, especially in a pandemic.
If Richard Ernst had been able to attend this year's lecture of the Laboratory of Physical Chemistry in his honor, he would probably have been excited about the guest speaker. Vincent Racaniello has some things in common with the former Nobel laureate – not the research field, but a good nose for groundbreaking discoveries and the talent to win over an audience for their research.
Vincent Racaniello, professor of microbiology and immunology at Columbia University, New York, has revolutionized modern virology. After earning his Ph.D. at Cornell University on the topic of influenza, he was a postdoc with Nobel laureate David Baltimore at MIT in the 1980s. There, he was the first to produce infectious cloned DNA of an animal virus (poliovirus). Later, at Columbia University, he continued research on the family of Picornaviridae – RNA-containing viruses that cause numerous human diseases such as paralysis (e.g., poliomyelitis), heart muscle inflammation, conjunctivitis or the common cold – and established the first mouse model for poliomyelitis, which is still in use. Other breakthroughs followed. To date, Racaniello’s research focuses on the interaction of viruses with the innate immune system, viral pathogenesis, and viral discovery in wild animals. He is also co-author of the successful textbook "Principles of Virology."
Vincent Racaniello also expresses his passion for viruses online as a YouTuber and podcaster. His lectures on YouTube have up to 200,000 views. Taking advantage of the internet, Prof. Racaniello has produced six different podcasts in the fields of virology, microbiology, parasitology, neuroscience, evolution, and immunology. These science programs feature experts in each field and demonstrate how the internet can be used to inform the public about science.
At the Richard R. Ernst Lecture on May 16, 2022 (4 pm, Auditorium Maximum, HG F30), Professor Vincent Racaniello will tell us more about his work and the "Inordinate fondness for viruses". Afterwards, together with other guests (see program), he will discuss in a panel what strategies are needed for effective science communication, how new media can help us do this, and what lessons can be learnt from the pandemic in terms of communication.
The aim of the Richard R. Ernst Lecture is to strengthen the relationship and understanding between the sciences, society, and politics and to raise awareness for the questions and challenges our global society is facing today and will face in the future. The Richard R. Ernst Lecture is a public lecture for a scientifically interested general audience. As part of the event, the lecturer will be awarded the Richard R. Ernst Gold Medal. Richard R. Ernst (1933–2021) was the 1991 recipient of the Chemistry Nobel prize.