Researcher to speak at SAS Forum

Craig Venter, a key figure in the development of genomics research, will speak Feb. 28 at the annual School of Arts and Sciences Dean's Forum.

Venter is a pioneer in genomics research and worked in the field for many years before it made headlines. He was responsible for competing with and pushing forward the Human Genome Project, a nonprofit international research consortium dedicated to mapping the entire human genome.

Venter helped successfully map the human genome, decoding the 3 billion "letters" that spell out the genetic information in the six feet of DNA coiled up in every human cell.

The annual forum, which will be held in Houston Hall's Bodek Lounge, traditionally features significant liberal arts figures who share their areas of expertise with students and faculty. Venter's lecture is entitled, "Sequencing the Human Genome: The Gateway to a New Era in Science and Medicine."

"It's clear the genomics-scale thinking, that is, examining all the genes in a genome or all the proteins in a cell simultaneously, is in the process of changing the entire way that we think about biology and medicine," Penn Genomics Institute Director David Roos said. "No one recognized this earlier or has been a more effective goad worldwide in challenging scientists to think about biology from a genomics perspective than Craig Venter."

School of Arts and Sciences Dean Samuel Preston chose Venter as this year's speaker after science faculty members pointed out that in past years the speakers, mostly fiction writers, have represented the humanities. Preston invited a scientist to speak at the forum, saying the choice shows the wide range of scholarly activity that takes place within the School of Arts and Sciences.

"We looked for a scientist who would appeal to a relatively broad audience," Preston said. "Craig Venter was the ideal candidate because of the remarkable mapping of the human genome that his company was responsible for along with the National Institutes of Health.

"He's a scientist and an entrepreneur and an outstanding speaker," Preston said of Venter. "The combination was irresistible."

Although Venter may not be as well known as past speakers, such as Tom Wolfe, Toni Morrison or Arthur Miller, Preston said he believes the forum will still draw a large audience, judging by the response he has already received.

"I think his name recognition is very high in the sciences and in the humanities," Preston said. "We actually expect an overflow crowd. We are worried that we will have to move the forum from Bodek Lounge."

Venter holds a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and a Ph.D. in physiology and pharmacology from the University of California-San Diego, where he was a student in the early 1970s. A leader in the field, Venter has published more than 160 articles and has received numerous awards.

Venter founded The Institute for Genome Research and served as its president from 1992 to 1998. He is also the president and chief scientific officer of Celera Genomics, a private company he helped found to work on sequencing the genome at a faster pace than the rival group, the Human Genome Project.

The code to life contained in the human genome provides the basis for developing cures and treatments for health problems such as diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

Venter's aggressive approach to the project forced other scientists to redouble their efforts to crack the genetic code.

However, Venter has been criticized for challenging authority and establishing a private company to accomplish what other public institutions were simultaneously attempting.

Moreover, Venter took on what many of his peers considered to be an unrealistic task -- mapping the genome by 2001, four years before a similar government-funded project was scheduled to end.

"Craig Venter has been a controversial figure in a lot of respects," Roos said. "He has been one of the leading scientists and certainly one of the most active in challenging conventional thinking in how we go about conducting such work. While different people have different views on what his direct contributions to science have been, in his time in public service and the private sector, he has always been effective at stimulating debate."

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