Genome BC is thrilled to present Dr. B. Brett Finlay and Dr. Jennifer Gardy for a fireside chat at the SFU Segal Building in Vancouver, BC!

Join these two leading scientists for an in-depth discussion about the world of germs and how “good” bacteria are an important part of healthy living and vital for people of all ages. This discussion will draw from Brett Finlay’s recent book “Let Them Eat Dirt: Saving Our Children from an Oversanitized World.”

A Q&A period will follow the discussion; ask all your burning questions to both Brett and Jennifer. Brett’s book will be available on site for purchase before or after the talk thanks to Banyen Books. We will also be giving away copies of the book for free—enter your name for a draw at registration. Join us for a reception with coffee, tea and light snacks and a book signing with Brett following the talk.

Genome BC is proud to organize science forums at no cost but we depend on your attendance. Genome BC does incur significant costs to host our events; venue rental, technology support, marketing and promotion and speaker costs. In addition, each event requires significant staff time to organize. Please be sure you can attend before registering or contact us at info@genomebc.ca should you need to cancel. We appreciate 72 hours’ notice.

Schedule:

5:30 pm-6:00 pm- Registration

6:00 pm-6:45 pm- Jennifer and Brett Finlay take the stage for an engaging discussion

6:45 pm- 7:30 pm- Question and answer period with the audience

7:30 pm-8:15pm – Reception with coffee, tea and treats & book signing

BIOS 
Brett Finlay, PhD, is a Peter Wall Distinguished Professor of microbiology at the University of British Columbia and a world leader in how bacterial infections work. He has been studying microbes for over 30 years and has published over 500 articles. Also a founder of the biotech companies Inimex, Vedanta, Commense, and Microbiome Insights, Brett is Officer of the Order of Canada—the highest Canadian civilian recognition. He lives in Vancouver, BC, with his wife, who is a pediatrician, and has two grown-up kids.

Jennifer Gardy, PhD, is both a scientist and a science communicator. In her scientific life, she’s a Senior Scientist in Genomics at the BC Centre for Disease Control and an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, where she holds a Canada Research Chair in Public Health Genomics. Jennifer’s lab uses genome sequencing to understand how infectious diseases spread in populations. When she’s not studying microbes, Jennifer works in science media. She regularly hosts episodes of CBC Television’s long-running science documentary series, The Nature of Things, has appeared as a guest host and contributor on Discovery Channel’s nightly science newsmagazine Daily Planet, and is a frequent guest on other documentary television shows.  She wrote a children’s book about microbes for OwlKids Books in 2014 called “It’s Catching: The Infectious World of Germs and Microbes”, and regularly speaks to science graduate students about how to communicate their research effectively.