Steinar Bryn’, a lifelong leader in dialogue and reconciliation amidst conflict, joins us one last time at Friendly House, to address how recent radical changes in the U.S. government may affect his work, which is often informed and impacted by such actions. Since earning his BA, MA, and Ph.D. in American Studies, his work has created tangible change, such as the de-segregation of schools in Macedonia, and has earned him eight Nobel Peace Prize nominations, the Livia Award, and the Norwegian King’s Medal of Merit. Steinar, along with Vesna Bryn, M.D., Ph.D.—a researcher in genetics and autism —will stay after the program for informal conversation. Note: First Sunday programs are generally more musical and interactive, so perhaps more family-friendly, than our typical programs. (Music starts at 9:30)

Over Zoom, Dr. Steve Mackessy discusses the evolution and diversification of snake venoms and their effects, finishing with a discussion of how therapeutics can and will be developed from venom compounds. His lab at U. of Northern Colorado (UNC) investigates fundamental questions in biology using venomous snakes and their venoms as a basic platform. He has published over 200 scientific papers, book chapters and natural history notes, several books, and special editions of several journals, with research including many students, and colleagues from nine countries and other US universities. He has received UNC awards in research and teaching (biomedicine and vertebrate biology), and has a B.A. and M.A. in Biology from UC Santa Barbara, and a Ph.D. from Washington State University.