Nobel Prize winning scientist Eric Wieschaus will speak at Cal State Long Beach on April 19.
A co-recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in the physiology category, Wieschaus was recognized along with geneticist Edward Lewis and biologist Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard “for their discoveries concerning the genetic control of early embryonic development,” according to the Nobel Prize website.
No other researchers had attempted to identify these genes because of the potentially large number of genes involved and the uncertainty on how to carry out the research. Wieschaus and his colleagues decided on a tedious trial-and-error approach to determine which of the fruit fly’s 20,000 genes were essential to early development, according to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
His lecture is titled, “Embryo development: Does knowing the science help with social and ethical issues?” His technical lecture, which will occur later in the day, is titled, “The mechanics of cell shape change in Drosophila embryogenesis.”
“I’m really excited,” said Angelica Paras, president of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Student Council, about the event. “I come from the fly lab [and] I have a background in embryonic development.”
Wieschaus is a professor at Princeton University, and has an active research lab that is continuously producing papers, according to Paras. His research focuses on the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model of how genes affect cell growth in developing embryos and has implications for understanding developmental abnormalities and cancer, according to a recent CSULB press release.
Wieschaus has authored and co-authored more than 100 published articles. He received his bachelor’s degree in biology from University of Notre Dame and his doctorate in biology from Yale University. Weischaus was also awarded the Mendel Medal by the United Kingdom Genetical Society and the Heart Hall of Honor by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Weischaus will be presenting the 32nd Nobel Laureate lecture from 11 a.m. to noon and a technical lecture from 4-5 p.m., both in the University Student Union ballrooms.
The programs are free to the public and are co-sponsored by the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Student Council and Dean’s Office, CSULB Office of the President, and CSULB Associated Students Inc.
According to Paras, this is expected to be a large event, as 400 guests are anticipated to attend Wieschaus’s lectures.
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