Dr. Richard B. Westbrook, Trustee of the Institute from 1884 until his death in 1899, established the Westbrook Free Lectureship as a means to encourage open discourse on scientific subjects, especially "disputed questions in science and the theories of Evolution." Since 1912 when the series began, Westbrook lecturers have included some of the most distinguished scientists and scholars of the past 100 years, among them John Dewey, George Gaylord Simpson, and Margaret Mead.
Check back soon for the exciting announcement of the
2011 Westbrook Lecture speaker!!
Westbrook Lecture 2010
SATURDAY, MARCH 27 at 1:00 PM
Museum is open 12:00 to 4:00 PM
Dr. Bonnie Bassler
"I Am One of You:
The Secret Language of Bacteria" |
|
Small RNA Chaperone Hfq and Multiple Small RNAs Control Quorum Sensing
in Vibrio harveyi and Vibrio cholerae.
Scientists have been aware of communication in a few marine species since the 1970s, however these were considered an anomaly. While studying bioluminescence, Princeton University Microbiologist Dr. Bonnie Bassler discovered that cell-to-cell bacterial communication, also known as quorum sensing, is actually ubiquitous in the bacterial world. It is her goal to understand quorum sensing and the molecular mechanisms bacteria use to communicate with one another in order to combat deadly bacterial diseases. The process of quorum sensing triggers bacteria to act collectively once they reach sufficient numbers, and in disease-causing bacteria this action is often the release of toxins. Dr. Bassler’s latest studies suggest that interfering with their communication could prevent bacteria from mounting a deadly assault on their host organism, a discovery that may provide an alternative to traditional antibiotics in fighting disease, especially ones that are prone to drug resistance. On March 27th, Dr. Bassler will discuss her groundbreaking research, revealing that bacteria are much more sophisticated than anyone ever realized.
Dr. Bonnie Bassler is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and the Squibb Professor of Molecular Biology at Princeton University. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In recognition of her work, Dr. Bassler was awarded a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in 2002.
