The Corporate Run kickoff at the Medical Wellness Center will be held on Tuesday, March 2 at 5:30 p.m. in the educational classroom at the Medical Wellness Center. Janelle Diaz will go over the details of the training program for the Corporate Run, to be held April 29 at 6:45 p.m. in downtown Miami. The University of Miami is hosting a tent this year. Come out and meet the team. For questions or more information regarding the Corporate Run, e-mail [email protected].

Carlos E. Alfonso, instructor in the Cardiovascular Division at the Miller School of Medicine, will present “ACS: Vulnerable Plaques, Update on Current Understanding and Future Treatment Strategies” on Tuesday, March 2 from 12 to 1 p.m. at University of Miami Hospital, South Building, first-floor Seminar Center A and B. For more information, call Raquel Mota at 305-243-9120 or e-mail [email protected].

Marine biotechnology researcher Shirley Pomponi will share her research on sponges and their uses beyond the marine ecosystem as the keynote speaker of the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science’s Seventh Annual Alumni Lecture.

Pomponi, executive director of ocean science, technology, and development at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University, will present her research on Tuesday, March 2 at 5:30 p.m. in the Rosenstiel School Auditorium.

Pomponi’s research focuses on marine biotechnology in general and on sponge cell culture in particular. Sponges have been around for more than 600 million years, and one reason that they’ve been so successful is because they have evolved a sophisticated chemical cache that enables them to compete for space, defend against predators, communicate with other sponges, reproduce, and even prevent infections. These same chemicals are being studied for their potential development as drugs to treat human disorders and diseases.

When it is not ecologically feasible to harvest sponges to obtain enough of beneficial chemicals for drug development or marketing, the most common option is synthesis of the chemical in the lab. Pomponi, who received her Ph.D. from the Rosenstiel School in 1978, and her team are exploring ways to grow sponge cells and stimulate them in order to produce these beneficial chemicals for pharmacological uses.

For more information on the lecture, please call 305-421-4207 or visit www.rsmas.miami.edu/alumni.

The devastating earthquake that rocked Haiti on January 12 not only destroyed property and left much of the island nation’s infrastructure in ruins; it also affected the country’s higher educational system. The University of Miami Center for Latin American Studies symposium “Higher Education in Haiti After the Earthquake: Assessing the Impact and Strategizing for the Future” will explore these effects on Tuesday, March 2 at 12:30 p.m. in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Wesley Gallery.

The event will be followed by an in-depth discussion on how best to support Haitian students, faculty, and administrators in the aftermath of the catastrophe and work with them toward the long-term goal of strengthening and expanding Haitian higher education. Louis Herns Marcelin, assistant professor of anthropology and chair of INURED, will lead the discussion. Refreshments will be served.

This seminar, sponsored by the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP), provides participants with a basic understanding of how antibiotics work and guidelines for their appropriate use. Participants will review ways to boost their immune system, prevent the spread of infectious diseases, and use antibiotics appropriately. Lilian Abbo, assistant professor of clinical medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and codirector of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at the Miller School of Medicine, will lead the seminar.

Coral Gables campus: Tuesday, March 2 from 12 to 1 p.m. in the Max Orovitz Building, Room 139.

Miller School of Medicine campus: Wednesday, March 3 from 12 to 1 p.m. in the Dominion Parking Garage, Room 155.

To register, go to http://ulearn.miami.edu. For help with ULearn, call the Professional Development and Training Office at 305-284-5110 or 305-243-3090. Mac users: Please call the FSAP office at 305-284-6604 to register by phone.