“Controlling the flow of mass and energy through living systems” will be presented by Dr. Nicole Buan, assistant professor of biochemistry.

One of the goals of biochemistry is to understand how living organisms convert chemical potential energy and matter into biological work such as growth and reproduction. By studying the biochemistry and physiology of organisms that exist near the “thermodynamic limit of life” (the boundary between inorganic and biological matter), we can gain insight about how living systems control the flow of mass and energy through the environment.