ITHACA, N.Y. -- Recent life-sciences research by Cornell University scientists and their students in Ithaca, N.Y., will be showcased April 12 at the Library of Congress (Thomas Jefferson Building, 1st Street SE), Washington, D.C.

The scientific forum is titled "The Power and Promise of Life Sciences."

The forum will feature a panel discussion at 3 p.m., "Accelerating Discovery: A New Paradigm for Addressing Medicine, Food Production and the Environment." Panelists will include Nelson Hairston, Cornell's Frank H.T. Rhodes professor of ecology, ecology and evolutionary biology; Michael I. Kotlikoff, professor and chair, biomedical sciences; and Susan R. McCouch, associate professor, plant breeding.

A second panel discussion, beginning at 4:45 p.m., "The Business of Life Sciences: The Next Big Thing?" will feature three Cornell alumni: Marlene Krauss, founder and managing director of KBL Healthcare Ventures, New York City; Lisa Skeete Tatum, general partner with Cardinal Partners, Laguna Niguel, Calif.; and Scott Koenig, president and chief executive of MacroGenics, a private biotechnology company, Rockville, Md.

The keynote address will be given at 6:45 p.m. by Claire M. Fraser, president and director of The Institute for Genomic Research, Rockville, Md.

The following Cornell students will present posters on their research:

Paul M. Forlano , from Downingtown, Pa., a graduate student in neurobiology and behavior, studies the unique characteristics of the plainfin midshipman fish as a model to study how brain structure controls different behaviors in men and women.

Jessica R. Hof, from Easton, Pa., a junior in food science, examines variations in the DNA sequence of Salmonella genes that could prove to be critical in preventing food-borne diseases.Anjali Susan Iyer , from Los Angeles, a graduate student in plant breeding, is identifying and isolating a rice gene that offers resistance to a bacterial blight pathogen that causes severe crop loss throughout Southeast Asia.

Jonas Korlach , a German graduate student in biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, develops micro- and nanofabricated devices to measure the dynamics of molecular machines that carry out fundamental life functions with sensitivity at the level of a single molecule.

Adrianne Kroepsch , from Parker, Colo., a senior science and technology studies major, has examined Cornell students' changing attitudes toward scientists, science and technology after reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein .

Vincent Ming-Chuan Lee , from Parkersburg, W.Va., a senior in molecular biology, studies micropons, a family of transposable elements in the rice genome that could be important for developing biological tools for crops.

Nuttawee Niamsiri , a Thai graduate student in food science, studies the synthesis of a biodegradable polymer for use in disposable, portable biosensors that can be used for the detection of hazardous contaminants in food or in the environment.

Kevin Nichols , from DuBois, Pa., a junior in biological and environmental engineering, focuses on applying nanofabrication principles to biosensor systems for detection of bacteria and viruses.

Catherine Wood , from Annapolis, Md., a senior majoring in animal science, studies imprinted genes in horses and related species, which could be useful in diagnosing and treating genetically inherited disorders and for improving animal breeding programs.

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EDITORS: You are welcome to cover the event or to send a reporter. For further details, please contact Blaine Friedlander or David Brand, Cornell News Service, at (607) 255-4206.