Amanda Hargrove to present Helen Murray Free Endowed Lecture Nov. 2

The College of Wooster will welcome Amanda Hargrove, professor of chemistry at Duke University, as she presents the College’s annual Helen Murray Free Lecture Nov. 2. Hargrove will present “Shining Light on Hidden Players in Disease” at 7:30 p.m. in the Lean Lecture Room of Wishart Hall (303 E. University Street). 

Hargrove’s lecture will explore the power of science to transform human health. She will discuss notable real-world examples of science transforming health, as well as how this realization influenced her journey and career in science. She will also discuss the responsibility of the scientific community to the public, including aspects such as transparency, communication, and equity. A reception sponsored by the Wooster chapter of the American Chemical Society will follow the lecture.  

Hargrove earned a doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin and later earned a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellowship at California Institute of Technology. She is a member of the Duke Cancer Institute, the Pharmaceutical Sciences Training Program, and the Center for Biological and Tissue Engineering. As an independent investigator at Duke, Hargrove works to develop novel therapeutics in the targeting of noncoding RNAs important during cancer metastasis. She is considered one of the international leaders in the field of small molecule-RNA interactions and has led the way to demystify the determinants for molecular recognition by RNA in the rational design of RNA therapeutics. Hargrove also serves as editor-in-chief of Medicinal Research Reviews and is a member of the ChemComm, Current Protocols, and Supramolecular Chemistry editorial advisory boards. 

While on campus, Hargrove will also present a technical lecture at 11 a.m. Nov. 2 in the Lean Lecture Room of Wishart Hall (303 E. University Street). Titled “Modulating the conformation and function of disease-relevant RNA with small molecules,” the technical lecture will explore how small molecules offer a unique opportunity to target structural and regulatory elements in therapeutically relevant RNA. Hargrove will also discuss how her lab works to improve small molecule targeting strategies and the applications this research will have for the development of RNA-targeted antiviral drugs. Following this presentation is a lunch with Hargrove for students interested in learning more about her work.  

The Helen Murray Free Lecture Series is endowed by the Al and Helen Free Foundation. Named for chemist and Wooster alumna Helen Murray Free ’45, the series supports an annual lecture by a renowned chemist, as well as opportunities for chemistry and other STEM majors to meet them. Free’s research in clinical chemistry revolutionized diagnostic testing. She was awarded seven patents, was inducted into the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame in 2000 and was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Obama in 2010. 

Both lectures are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Mary Cornelius in the Department of Chemistry at mcornelius@wooster.edu, or by calling 330-263-2418.

Image: Amanda Hargrove, professor of chemistry at Duke University. Photo provided by Hargrove.

Posted in News on October 26, 2023.