cas: initiative 2001-2002 The New Biology: Issues and Opportunities During the academic year 2001-02, the Center will sponsor an interdisciplinary initiative titled "The New Biology: Issues and Opportunities." The aim is twofold: delineate and imagine what developments in technology and medical research are likely to stem from full knowledge of the human genome sequence; and consider implications of this revolution in knowledge of ourselves for our institutions and our society. Select an Event -------------- Spring Conference - 3/8-9/02 Sydney Brenner - 4/1/02 -------------- Previous Events Roundtable on Bioterrorism - 2/14/02 Raymond A. Zilinskas - 2/14/02 Eric Greeen - 11/26/01 Troy Duster - 10/7/01 This initiative is supported by: Beckman Institute Center for Advanced Study College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences College of Engineering College of Law College of Liberal Arts and Sciences College of Medicine College of Veterinary Medicine National Center for Supercomputing Applications School of Integrative Biology School of Molecular and Cellular Biology Spring Conference The New Biology: Issues and Opportunities March 8 and March 9 Friday - Saturday Levis Faculty Center 919 West Illinois Street, Urbana The revolution in biology has the potential to radically alter both our concept of ourselves and our very nature as organisms, even as it is now reshaping the organisms we use. Over the first part of this new century, we will be facing fundamental and irrevocable decisions about how we will determine the future of humankind. Biology has developed the tools to do this, but the decisions about what should be done are of potential professional interest to every discipline on our campus. Friday, March 8 9:00 A.M. Tracing the Roots of the New Biology Opening Remarks Richard Burkhardt, CAS Resident Associate and Department of History, UIUC Charles Darwin and the New Biology of the Nineteenth Century ABSTRACT Richard Burkhardt, CAS Resident Associate and Department of History, UIUC 9:45 A.M. From Gene Action to Genetic Programs: Narratives of Development and the Molecular Revolution ABSTRACT Evelyn Fox Keller, Program in Science, Technology and Society, MIT 10:30 A.M. Issues in Agriculture and the Environment Opening remarks: Bruce Chassy, Associate Executive Director, Campus Biotechnology Center, UIUC 10:40 A.M. Animal Cloning and Its Applications in Agriculture and Medicine ABSTRACT Neal L. First, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison 11:15 A.M. Geobiology: New Perspectives on Planet Earth ABSTRACT Bruce Fouke, Department of Geology, UIUC Discussion 12:00 P.M. Lunch Issues in Agriculture and the Environment (continued) 1:30 P.M. Biology as Enabling Science of the Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industries ABSTRACT Gregory Stephanopoulos, Department of Chemical Engineering, MIT 2:05 P.M. How GMOs Might Change Agriculture: Biology, Economics and Politics ABSTRACT Jerry Nelson, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, UIUC 2:40 P.M. The Ethics of Genetically Engineered Animals ABSTRACT Robert Streiffer, Program in Medical Ethics, University of Wisconsin, Madison Discussion 8:00 P.M. Keynote Address Introduction William T. Greenough, Director, Center for Advanced Study, UIUC From Stem Cells to Jail Cells - The Politics of Embryo Research ABSTRACT Alta R. Charo, University of Wisconsin Law School, Madison Reception to follow Saturday, March 9 9:00 A.M. The Human Condition: Life Span Opening Remarks Harris Lewin, CAS Resident Associate and Department of Animal Sciences, UIUC 9:10 A.M. The Genetics of Aging and the Plasticity Within ABSTRACT Caleb E. Finch, Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center, University of Southern California 9:45 A.M. Genomic Variation in Human Disease ABSTRACT Aravinda Chakravarti, McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University Break 10:30 A.M. Unexpected Plasticity of Adult Marrow-Derived Stem Cells ABSTRACT Catherine Verfaillie, University of Minnesota Stem Cell Institute 11:05 A.M. Genetic Citizenship: Bench Scientists, Physicians and Patient Group Activism in The Shadow of the Genome ABSTRACT Rayna Rapp, Department of Anthropology, New York University Discussion 12:00 P.M. Lunch 1:30 P.M. The Human Condition: The Nature of Human Nature Opening remarks William T. Greenough, Director, Center for Advanced Study, UIUC 1:40 P.M. How Will the Progress in Genetics Change Our Lives? ABSTRACT Rex L. Chisholm, Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University 2:05 P.M. Synapse-Specific Gene Expression: Role in Synaptic Plasticity and Memory Storage? ABSTRACT Oswald Steward, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine Break 2:50 P.M. Humans as Microbial Planets ABSTRACT Abigail Salyers, Department of Microbiology, UIUC 3:25 P.M. Genomic Enthusiasms, Biological Reality, and the Spectre of Eugenics: What Can We Learn From History? ABSTRACT Garland Allen, Evolutionary and Population Biology Program, Washington University Discussion 4:20 P.M. Conference Wrap-up William T. Greenough, Director, Center for Advanced Study, UIUC 5:30 P.M. Post Conference Reception LATER THIS SEMESTER The New Genetics: Man's Place in the Universe April 1, 2002 Monday, 4:00 p.m. Auditorium, Beckman Institute 405 North Mathews, Urbana Sydney Brenner Distinguished Professor, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies The human genome sequence has aroused much interest especially for its potential impact in medicine and the potential social and legal problems that it may generate. I will try to show how the knowledge of the sequence fits in with all of biology; I will also show we still have a long way to go in understanding and using genetic information; and, finally I will discuss my personal views on predictive medicine and the social dilemmas it may create. PREVIOUS EVENTS Roundtable on Bioterrorism February 14, 2002 Thursday, 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. Levis Faculty Center 919 W. Illinois, Urbana Raymond A. Zilinskas* Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies Christopher Hsu CAS John Bardeen Graduate Scholar, Veterinary Pathobiology, UIUC Eric Jakobsson Molecular and Integrative Physiology, UIUC R. Todd Kiskaddon Department of Emergency Medicine, Provena United Samaritans Medical Center. Danville Abigail Salyers Microbiology, UIUC Brenda Wilson Microbiology, UIUC The Myths and Realities of Biological Terrorism and Warfare February 14, 2002 Thursday, 4:00 p.m. Auditorium, Beckman Institute 405 North Mathews, Urbana Raymond A. Zilinskas Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies Some myths about bioterrorism are that pathogens are synonymous to weapons and biological weapons capable of killing many people are easy to procure and deploy. Lessons from past bioterrorist events and operations of national biological warfare programs indicate otherwise. This talk clarifies what can be done by whom as to the criminal acquisition and use of biological weapons and how society may deter or manage such activities and their aftermath. Sequencing the Human Genome: Elucidating Our Genetic Blueprint November 26, 2001 Monday, 4:00 p.m. Beckman Auditorium Eric Green Chief, Genome Technology Branch, Director, NIH Intramural Sequencing Center, National Human Genome Research Institute The Human Genome Project recently reached an important milestone, with the completion of a preliminary draft of the human genome sequence. This new and powerful foundation of genetic information is empowering investigators to tackle complex problems in human biology and disease. It will likely also change biomedical research and the practice of medicine in profound ways in the coming decades. Post-Genomics and the Concept of Race in Science: Tensions, Contradictions and Resolutions October 7, 2001 Sunday, 4:00 p.m. Illini Union Troy Duster Professor of Sociology, New York University Chancellor's Professor and Director of the American Cultures Center, U. of Calif., Berkeley The Human Genome Project has now completed the mapping and sequencing of about 95% of the genome, and so Celera and the HGP jointly announced "completion." At the same time, Craig Venter (Celera) and Francis Collins (HGP) have both said all this shows that since we are alike at 99.9% of the DNA, this proves that race has no meaning. However, the new field of pharmacogenomics is producing ethnically and racially targeted pharmaceuticals, SNP profiling is central to all this, and the new Haplotype Map project of the HGP (New York Times, July 20, 2001) is underway, all struggling with the meaning of "race." This is called "post-genomics" and a new set of issues is raised about an old set of problems, including forensic science and its attempts to produce what is called "ethnic estimations of ethnic affiliations using allele frequencies." I will address these issues, and also suggest ways to addressing if not resolving the apparent contradictions.