Designing Life: Early Experiments in Synthetic Biology

Date: 

Wednesday, November 15, 2017, 6:00pm to 7:30pm

Location: 

Science Center Lecture Hall D

paperweight

Free Public Lecture

Sophia Roosth, Frederick S. Danziger Associate Professor in the History of Science Harvard University

Synthetic biologists combine biology and engineering to design (or re-design) biological entities or living systems. The work of these scientists could have many potential applications in the medical, energy, and environmental sectors, but the field remains controversial because of ethical and biosecurity concerns. Based on her research with MIT scientists working to model and engineer viruses in the early 2000s, Sophia Roosth will discuss how synthetic biologists think about themselves and their power to “evolve” life, putting their perspectives in the context of the American political discourse over creation and intelligent design.

Free parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.