Contagion
2015

The State Theatre Modesto, CA

with

Dr. Beth Vitalis

Lead Biologist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Pathogen Bioinfometrics

Contagion— Menacing Microbes: Protein Models Reveal Secrets

Dr. Beth Vitalis presented “Menacing Microbes: Protein Models Reveal Secrets.”

The State Theatre Modesto, CA

Film Synopsis

Director Steven Soderbergh’s disaster thriller follows the rapid progress of a lethal airborne virus that kills within days.

When Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) returns to Minnesota from a Hong Kong business trip, she attributes the malaise she feels to jet lag. However, two days later, Beth is dead, and doctors tell her husband (Matt Damon) that they have no idea what killed her. Soon, many others start to exhibit the same symptoms, and a worldwide pandemic erupts. Doctors try to contain the lethal microbe, but society begins to collapse as a blogger (Jude Law) fans the flames of paranoia.

About the Speaker

Dr. Beth Vitalis is the lead biologist on the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Pathogen Bioinformatics team, who has provided biological guidance of bioinformatics efforts supporting pathogen detection and characterization for numerous sponsors, including the Center for Disease Control.