UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Stress comes in many forms, and whether you have a large event to plan, seven lab reports due in one week, or you just lost your job, we all respond to it differently. But have you ever wondered why?
The Penn State Ecology Graduate Student Organization is hosting its second Science Café event to discuss this very question.
The discussion titled “Why is Stress Stressful? How Animals and Humans Respond to Challenges,” will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday, March 24, at Webster’s Bookstore Café, 133 E. Beaver Ave., State College, Pa.
The event is open to the public at no charge.
Two Penn State graduate students will lead the discussion. Gail McCormick is a third-year doctoral degree candidate in ecology, and Lauren Chaby is a doctoral candidate in neuroscience and has a master’s degree student in ecology.
“Stress is a topic everyone is familiar with, but we do not often think about it in a scientific way,” said McCormick.
McCormick and Chaby will address questions such as, “What is stress?” and “Why might long periods of stress increase your risk of getting sick?”
“This event provides science talks in a relaxing atmosphere, which is a great way to share research topics with both colleagues and the community,” said Megan Kepler, a master’s degree student in the ecology intercollege graduate degree program who helps organize the Science Café.
“We really hope to engage with the State College community.”
This Science Café is a great way to learn and ask questions about science in an informal way, McCormick said, and no science background is necessary.
For more information, contact Megan Kepler (mvk10@psu.edu) or Gail McCormick (glm73@psu.edu).