Keeping up with genomics
Image courtesy of Bang Wang, Communications
Scientific knowledge usually grows in fits and starts, but for the field of human genetics, the engine of discovery lately seems stuck in overdrive. Because of the discipline's far-reaching effects on medicine, law, and society, keeping pace with its progress is an important task for everyone — not just the scientifically inclined.
To help this cause, the Broad Institute has launched Midsummer Nights' Science, a series of science seminars that are designed to acquaint the public with the most recent developments in genetic and genomic research, and their implications. Local scientists who are affiliated with the Broad Institute will give the four weekly talks, which are free and open to the community. Midsummer Nights' Science begins July 11 at the Broad's new building at 7 Cambridge Center.
"Our knowledge of the human genome and how it works continues to grow at a truly incredible pace," said Michelle Nhuch, the series organizer and the public communications specialist at the Broad Institute. "Midsummer Nights' Science provides adults in the community with an opportunity to hear about the latest advances in genetics and genomics, to understand their implications, and to interact with some of the scientists leading the research efforts."
Midsummer Nights' Science will retrace the pioneering steps in genetic research since the Austrian monk Gregor Mendel laid out general postulates more than 140 years ago. Known as "the father of genetics," Mendel noted that physical traits are often shared between a pea plant and its offspring, and his work formed the foundation for basic hereditary principles. In honor of the scientific field it helped to launch, the pea plant provides the inspiration for the Broad Institute's seminar series, which takes its name from one of William Shakespeare's well-known plays.
The science seminar series begins on July 11 with "The Genome Diaries," an introduction to the human genome and the recent efforts to unravel its genetic mysteries, which will be given by Broad Institute director Eric Lander. On July 18, Dyann Wirth, a professor of infectious diseases at the Harvard School of Public Health and the co-director of the Broad Institute's Infectious Disease Initiative, will describe how scientists are using genome-based approaches to understand and hopefully outsmart human pathogens in "Catching a Summer Bug." Fintan Steele, the director of science education and public communication at the Broad Institute will consider the ethical, legal, and social ramifications of today's cutting edge genetic research in "DNA: A double-edged helix," which will take place July 25. David Altshuler, the director of the Program in Medical and Population Genetics at the Broad Institute, an associate professor of genetics and medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and an attending physician in the Diabetes Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, will close the series on August 1. In his talk, entitled "Genomics & Medicine," he will discuss the new era of genome-based medicine — its achievements thus far, its limitations, and its future promise.
For more information about Midsummer Nights’ Science, visit http://www.broad.mit.edu/education/midsummer.
