SCC to host noted Alzheimer’s researcher Dr. Ben Bahr | Community Spirit

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WECT) - UNC Pembroke Alzheimer’s disease researcher Dr. Ben Bahr will speak about his work Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 2 p.m. at Southeastern Community College. The public is invited to the free lecture, which will be held in the College’s auditorium. The noted scientist will be joined by a researcher and technicians who work in his lab.

Bahr received the Council on Undergraduate Research Biology Division’s 2012 Mentor Award for his work in serving as a role model for students and other mentors of undergraduate research nationwide. He is the UNCP William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry.

An expert on age-related neuro-degenerative disorders, Bahr has presented his research in 15 different countries and is the author of more than100 articles in scientific journals, many of which include undergraduate co-authors from three universities where he has worked.

At UNCP, Bahr is a member of both biology and chemistry departments, and his lab is located in the Biotechnology Center of the Regional Center. He and his students conduct research on proteins (Beta amyloids) that are believed to cause Alzheimer’s disease.

Recently Bahr’s lab produced a paper published by the scientific journal PLoS ONE that represented five years of research. It was co-authored by two UNCP undergraduates and several post-doctoral students from other universities who worked in the Pembroke lab.

Bahr earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees in molecular biology and biochemistry and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Prior to joining the faculty at UNCP, he was on the faculty of the University of Connecticut’s Pharmaceutical Sciences and Physiology and Neurobiology departments.

Bahr’s lecture at SCC is sponsored by the College’s natural and social science programs. For more information about the lecture, contact Becky Westbrooks at (910)642-7141, ext. 291 or becky.westbrooks@sccnc.edu.