Schedule of Events
A Celebration of the Life Sciences at Syracuse University
Schedule of public events for the dedication of the Life Sciences Complex
Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008
Spencer Wells, geneticist, anthropologist, and director of the Genographic Project at
National Geographic will present Deep Ancestry: Inside the Genographic Project at 7:30 p.m. in the Life Sciences Complex Auditorium. The lecture, presented by Migration: Syracuse Symposium™ 2008 and the Department of Biology, is free and open to the public. Parking is available for $3.50 in the Booth Garage (garage closes at 10 p.m.).
Wells has dedicated much of his career to studying humankind’s family tree and unraveling age-old mysteries about early human migration. His work as director of the groundbreaking Genographic Project, which uses DNA samples to trace human migration, has taken him to over a dozen countries, including Chad, Tajikistan, Morocco, and French Polynesia. Everybody loves a good story, and when it's finished, this will be the greatest one ever told. It begins in Africa with a group of hunter-gatherers, perhaps just a few hundred strong. It ends some 200,000 years later with their six and a half billion descendants spread across the Earth.
Friday, Nov. 7, 2008
10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: Life Sciences Complex tours and laboratory demonstrations—Come explore the Life Sciences Complex and learn about the exciting discoveries being made by Syracuse University faculty and student researchers. The tours and laboratory demonstrations are free and open to the general public, high- school biology and chemistry class groups, and the Syracuse University campus community. Registration is required.
2 p.m. Keynote address by J. Craig Venter, a pioneer in decoding the human genome. Venter is founder and president of J. Craig Venter Institute (JVCI), a not-for-profit research institute dedicated to the advancement of the science of genomics; the understanding of its implications for society; and the communication of results to the scientific community, the public, and policy makers. The multidisciplinary institute houses some 400 scientists and staff with expertise in human and evolutionary biology, genetics, bioinformatics/informatics, information technology, DNA sequencing, genomic and environmental policy research, and public education in science and science policy.
Location: Life Sciences Complex Auditorium Room 001
Parking: Free parking is available in Booth Garage
Cost: Free and open to the public
3:30 p.m. Life Sciences Complex Dedication and Ribbon Cutting—the Dedication ceremony will include presentations by Chancellor Nancy Cantor, Dean George Langford, and Assemblyman William B. Magnarelli, and feature the world premiere of In Praise of Science by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Robert Ward, commissioned by The College of Arts and Sciences for soprano Laura Enslin and the Syracuse University Brass Ensemble.
Location: Life Science Complex Atrium
Parking: Free parking is available in Booth Garage
Cost: Free and open to the public
4:15 p.m. Reception and building tours