WHAT: University of Nebraska at Kearney Science Café
HOSTED BY: Sigma Xi The Scientific Research Honor Society
TITLE: “Queen Anne – Our ‘Favourite’ Medical Mystery”
TOPIC: Queen Anne, the last of the Stuart family to rule Britain, died in 1713, possibly as the result of a stroke. To this day, the mysterious illnesses that affected the queen are the topic of much speculation and her cause of death is still debated. University of Nebraska at Kearney biology professor Kim Carlson and history professor Doug Biggs will discuss Queen Anne and how disease affected her family and reign. Anne, who suffered from a list of maladies, married her second cousin, Prince George of Denmark, in 1683 and became queen in 1702. In an attempt to secure a Stuart heir to the throne, she endured no fewer than 17 pregnancies. However, none of her children lived past the age of 11.
PRESENTERS: Carlson is a professor and assistant chair of biology at UNK focusing on molecular genetics and teaching introductory and human genetics, as well as bioethics. She received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Education in biology from UNK and a doctorate in genetics and cellular and molecular biology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Carlson was a postdoctoral research fellow in the Center for Neurovirology and Neurodegenerative Disorders at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She became a research associate and proteomics core director at UNMC before returning to UNK in 2003.
Biggs is a professor and director of the online master’s program in history at UNK. He received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in history from Iowa State University and a doctorate in medieval history from the University of Minnesota. His specialty areas are English history, ancient history and medieval history. Biggs has been a visiting professor at the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of York in England. He’s presented papers at international conferences on both sides of the Atlantic and in New Zealand. In 2000, he was elected to fellowship in the Royal Historical Society.
TIME: 5:30 p.m.
DATE: Monday, Feb. 17
PLACE: The Loft, Cunningham’s Journal, 15 W. 23rd St., Kearney
CONTACT: Allen Thomas, UNK associate professor of chemistry, 308.865.8490, thomasaa@unk.edu
