School of Science and Engineering colloquium series begins Oct. 17

NEW PALTZ — The School of Science and Engineering at SUNY New Paltz will begin the 2002-03 colloquium series on Thursday, Oct. 17, with a lecture about the science and clinical potential of human gene therapy.

These colloquium lectures, two in the fall and three in the spring, are designed for a general scientific audience and are given by leading scientists who are available to meet faculty and students during their visits to campus.

“Our goal with these colloquia is to identify topics of major interest or widespread concern which show promise of yielding to scientific inquiry,” said David Clark, chair of the organizing committee and associate dean of Science and Engineering. “Our hope is to gain a sense from our speakers of the present state of knowledge about these topics, of the important questions that they pose, and of where they might be leading us in the near future. We have been particularly pleased to see how these colloquia have brought together students, faculty and community around these common interests.”

The guest lecturer for Oct. 17 will be Dr. James M. Wilson, professor and chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Engineering, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Medical Genetics and professor at the Winstar Institute, all at the University of Pennsylvania. He will give an overview of the Human Genome Project and present methods currently being developed to directly alter genes in living organisms.

“The human genome sequencing is a major scientific achievement,” said Clark, “and we are only beginning to get a glimpse of the possible medical applications that this insight offers us. We are thrilled to have one of the leading researchers in gene therapy coming to share this glimpse with us.”

Other colloquium lecture series topics and dates are: “Is it hot enough for Ya? – The human contribution to global warming,” Nov. 14; “Introduction to quantum computing,” Feb. 6; “Blood substitutes: Can nature show us the way?” March 6; and “Our energy policy: a time for change,” April 3.

The lecture series will take place in the Coykendall Science Building on the New Paltz campus, each lecture will begin with a reception at 4:30 p.m. followed by the lecture at 5 p.m. The public is invited to these colloquia at no charge.

The School of Science and Engineering was established in 2001 to bring a mathematics and science focus to the SUNY New Paltz campus. It offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in Chemistry, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Geology, Mathematics and Physics. For more information or directions, contact David Clark at (845) 257-3728, or visit the school of Science and Engineering on the Web at www.newpaltz.edu/sse.