Venter gives genomics lesson

Although his name may not be as widely recognized as previous School of Arts and Sciences Dean's Forum speakers such as Toni Morrison or Tom Wolfe, genomics giant Craig Venter still managed to draw quite a crowd to the forum yesterday.

Venter, who is one of the leaders in mapping the human genome, brought hundreds of students and faculty from Penn and members of the greater community to Irvine Auditorium.

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

Venter's lecture, entitled "Sequencing the Human Genome: The Gateway to a New Era in Science and Medicine," focused on the difficulty involved in decoding the book of life contained in the human genome, which experts hope will lead to the development of cures and treatments for health problems such as diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

Using a Powerpoint presentation to emphasize his points, Venter showed slides of graphs, diagrams and magazine and newspaper clippings surrounding his work. One slide showed a political cartoon of scientists in front of a mind-boggling pile of puzzle pieces and one scientist saying, "I think I found a corner piece."

Although similar to solving a jigsaw puzzle, sequencing the genome was slightly harder, Venter said, considering the vast number of sequences and that there are no corner or edge pieces.

In order to sequence the genome, Venter's team relied on computer technology and advanced mathematical algorithms. Still, it took months to assemble the human genome.

Venter said in order to accomplish the mapping, he held a conference, or a "genome jamboree," where scientists convened to work together on the project. He said they tried to make the event a classy one with nice dinner parties, but the scientists would gobble down their dinners and rush back to their computers. So, in the end they resorted to pizza and Chinese take-out.

"It was the ultimate summer camp for nerds," he recalled to the laughing audience.

Venter is also known as a controversial figure, a reputation that stems from his decision to help found Celera Genomics, a private company for which he is now the president and chief scientific officer. His institute worked on sequencing the genome at a faster pace than the Human Genome Project, the rival federally-funded organization.

Venter's aggressive approach to the project forced other scientists to redouble their efforts to crack the genetic code. Venter set out to map the genome by 2001, four years before the government's public project was scheduled to end and at a tenth of the cost. Though Venter's firm lost the race to the government, its efforts greatly accelerated the governments project.

The famous scientist compared sequencing the genome to playing with children's tinker toys, where the wooden balls with numerous holes simultaneously connect many sticks.

"You could build very large structures quickly this way," Venter said. "The public approach was much more similar to Lego."

Most of the audience members enjoyed Venter's lecture, but some students said they wished they could have heard other sides of the gene-mapping issue.

"It's amazing that the school can get such a prestigious expert, but I think a debate forum between the public project versus the private one would have been better," College junior Lisa Singer said. "That way it wouldn't have been such a one-sided perspective."

Many in attendence said they anticipated Venter to speak in a less technical manner, treating the audience as members of the non-scientific community rather than a room full of researchers. Although many could only glean bits and pieces from his detailed presentation, most were pleasantly surprised that Venter didn't dilute the subject matter.

"His talk was more scientific than I expected," College senior Craig Platt said. "He spoke to the audience as if we had a good understanding of science, and I appreciate that."

Venter gave examples of how this genetic knowledge can save lives, saying "the difference in the genetic code can play a role in our susceptibility to disease."

Knowing that colon cancer is written in a person's genetic code might prompt that person to go for regular colonoscopies which Venter said "gives you power over your own life." Colon cancer is one of the most easily cured cancers when spotted in its earliest stages.

In answering questions following his lecture, Venter said one of his main goals is to educate the public about genomics research and its findings.

"Very few medical schools teach this information because it's so new," he said. "I see more programs in K-12 education than I do beyond grade 12. We have a real challenge."

Venter also added that the knowledge gained from mapping the human genome will eventually show that people cannot blame their status in life on genetics. While genetics determines some aspects of a person's physical make-up, it does not affect how well that person does in life.

"This means it gets back to personal responsibility," he said.

Since its inception in 1984, the Dean's Forum has aimed to bring together students, faculty and leading intellectual figures to recognize academic excellence, as well as to discuss the state of liberal arts.

In the past, the forum has brought in speakers whose expertise lies in the humanities, including famed authors such as Wolfe, Morrison and Arthur Miller. This was the first time in recent years that a scientist addressed the audience.

Prior to Venter's talk, SAS Dean Samuel Preston presented 19 students with the school's top honor, recognizing them as Dean's Scholars. The criteria for receiving the award include a high grade point average, rigorous course load and extracurricular activities.

Preston praised this year's honorees -- which include nine undergraduates, nine graduate students and one student in the College of General Studies -- for their "exceptional academic performance and their sense of intellectual adventure."

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