RENO, Nev. — Tonight, the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe invites the community to take a dive, but not into Tahoe. Instead, a free community keynote hosted by the Hitchcock Center for Chemical Ecology will dive into the chemistry of reefs.

“Reef Chemistry: The invisible forces shaping coral reef ecosystems” is presented by Valerie Paul, the director and head scientist of the Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, Florida. Paul developed a research program specializing in marine chemical ecology and has authored or coauthored over 370 scientific research publications. Her talk will share how health and survival of marine ecosystems are dependent on chemical battles waged between coral and algae.

“While the ecosystems discussed in this talk are a bit different from those at Lake Tahoe, there are common threads in how chemical ecology is subtly shaping our environments,” Chris Jeffrey, Director of the Hitchcock Center, said.

The community keynote is part of an annual tradition to close out the Hitchcock Center for Chemical Ecology Symposium which welcomes chemical ecology experts from all over the world to engage with one another and ideas in this burgeoning field. The lecture is followed by a hosted social with food trucks and drinks for attendees, hosted by the Hitchcock Center.

The lecture will be held in the Prim Library at the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe from 6 to 7 p.m. Registration for this free event is required and available online via Eventbrite.