The first seminar attended as part of the RISE Fall program 2012 discussed the Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). The presenter explained that KSHV is one of eight known herpes viruses that infects people through saliva, blood or sexual contact. However, it only causes illness in those with weak immune systems, as it reproduces and creates cancerous tumors. The presenter effectively communicated details about how KSHV works and the importance of further research on the virus.

1. Reflection on the first seminar: KSHV
The first seminar I attended to, as a part of the RISE Fall program 2012, was
done by Ms. Olga González. Her topic was the KSHV (Kaposi sarcoma-associated
herpesvirus). She started her presentation talking about the herpes virus in general
and then explaining to us briefly the 8 types of herpes viruses that are known.
Afterwards is when she got into detail with the KSHV. She explained to us that this
virus infects people through saliva, blood or sexual contact. However, she did
specify that this virus only appears in people who have a low immune system
response. The way it works is that the person get infected by it, and if they have a
low immune system response, the virus reproduces, creating a tumor, and this
tumor turns out to be cancerous. I believe she did a well job communicating to us
what this virus is, how it works and what it does. I think her research will be very
important for those other investigators that wish to work with this virus.