The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation will kick off its 2006-2007 Public Lectures in Science season next week by addressing the proliferation of two widely-discussed bird viruses.

Noble scientist Marilyn Roossinck, Ph.D., will make her presentation - entitled Viruses, Birds and People: Should You Be Worried - on Thursday, Nov. 16. The lecture will examine the West Nile virus and Avian influenza (bird flu) through the lens of molecular biology, focusing on how the viruses copy themselves and how they move from birds to humans.

"There has been a lot of misinformation about West Nile virus and Avian influenza," said Roossinck, who serves as the organizer of the Public Lectures in Science season. "There are precautions people can take to prevent infection, and then there are also a lot of things that will not help at all. I am going to strip away all the hype that surrounds these particular viruses and take a scientific, but very practical, look at them."

The three-part series will continue on March 8 when Maria Marta Chavarria, Director of Research at Santa Rosa National Park in Costa Rica, shares her insights about how science impacts the local community.

Noble Foundation Wildlife and Fisheries Specialist Mike Porter will present the final lecture on April 19. Porter will discuss southern Oklahoma's local variety of snakes and their role in the local ecosystem.

All lectures will begin at 7 p.m. and take place at the Kruse Auditorium on the Noble Foundation's campus in Ardmore. A reception will follow each presentation.

For additional information on the Noble Foundation's Public Lectures in Science, contact the Noble Foundation at 580.223.5810.

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News Release Issued: November 7, 2006

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. (www.noble.org), headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is a nonprofit organization conducting agricultural, forage improvement and plant biology research; assisting farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative agricultural programs; and providing grants to nonprofit charitable, educational and health organizations.