Genomics leader gets award

Students and faculty crowded into the Towne Building's Heilmeier Hall last night as the Engineering School awarded J. Craig Venter, a pioneer in genomics, with the first-ever Harold Berger Award.

The Berger Award is named in honor of SEAS alum Harold Berger and given to a "technological innovator who has made a lasting contribution to the quality of our lives."

Venter has been a leader in genomics and the mapping of the human genome. With the founding of Celera Genomics in 1998, Venter initiated a program that set out to decode the human genome, competing with the Human Genome Project, a publicly funded organization. The pressure and sense of urgency created through the simultaneous work of the organizations is attributed with facilitating the successful mapping of the complete human genome.

Venter's team of scientists worked to develop new computer technology and advanced mathematical algorithms, which helped them to reach their goal.

Venter's work has also led to the decoding of genomic structures for other organisms, such as the fruit fly and the mouse.

Venter said he was excited to receive the award, noting, "I do like to be the first, so this is a nice honor."

Engineering Dean Eduardo Glandt described Venter as "the most appropriate choice for the first recipient of the [Berger] award."

"The award points out someone of scholarly distinction who has performed cutting edge research that has had societal impact," Glandt said. "The impact of [Venter's] human genome research is immeasurable. There is no doubt that he meets the criteria amply."

After receiving his Ph.D. in Physiology and Pharmacology from the University of California-San Diego, Venter became a researcher at the National Institutes of Health. Venter went on to make groundbreaking discoveries in gene decoding, developing expressed sequence tags, or ESTs.

In 1992, Venter founded The Institute for Genomic Research and served as president and chief scientific officer until 1998. At TIGR, Venter and his scientists were able to decode the genome of the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae. This achievement marked the first DNA decoding of a free-living organism.

Venter has published over 200 research articles and has been the recipient of many awards and honorary degrees.

Throughout Venter's presentation, there were many technical difficulties, including a dysfunctional microphone and temperamental lights that turned on and off periodically.

But Venter continued with his PowerPoint presentation, which was quite similar to his lecture at Penn last February as part of the School of Arts and Sciences Dean's Forum.

In addition to outlining the advancement of genomics, Venter made predictions for future progress in the field.

"I predict that within a decade parents will have the option to get the genetic code of their baby on a CD-ROM," he said.

However, Venter noted that there is a danger that such information could be misinterpreted.

"We know very few of any of the functions of our genes," he admitted.

He advised students that "if you know how much has changed and how much is likely to change and you're ready for it, you will be the driving force in the future of science and medicine."

"I think it's amazing what he's done. It's kind of unfathomable," Engineering senior Bonita Sen remarked following Venter's talk.

Wharton sophomore Ian Glastein described Venter as "one of the most inspiring and energetic men in the field of biotechnology right now. It's an honor to hear him speak at Penn."

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