Jennifer Rood, Pennington Biomedical Research Center’s associate executive director for Core Services and Resources, will speak at the Press Club of Baton Rouge on Monday, Aug. 19. She will give an update on the center’s partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, which includes an announcement of two new multimillion-dollar Army health research projects to be conducted at the center over the next several years. The discoveries from the research will help U.S. warfighters maintain muscle mass and mental sharpness under combat. Press Club meets on Mondays in the East and West Baton Rouge Room at the Belle of Baton Rouge Hotel, which is located at 102 France St. Parking is free in the garage off Mayflower Street. Lunch, which is served at 11:30 a.m., is $15 for members and $20 for nonmembers. The public is invited, but only members of the Press Club and the news media are allowed to ask questions during the question-and-answer portion of the program.