February 7, 2020
Written by Public Relations & Communications Strategist Jill Wilson
Augustana University and The Center for Western Studies announced today that free tickets for the 24th Boe Forum on Public Affairs featuring keynote speakers Drs. Robert Green and Jamie Metzl will be available beginning at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 7, at augie.edu/boetickets. The event will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Mar. 23, in the Elmen Center.
This year’s forum, “Are We Ready? The Science, Ethics, and Geopolitics of Genetic Engineering and Preventive Genomics,” will examine the relationship between genetics and health, the ability to predict and thereby prevent disease, and the geopolitics of genetic engineering and genomics.
Today’s scientists are studying how direct alteration of an organism's DNA can eliminate undesirable characteristics, produce desirable traits and be utilized to prevent health conditions. Preventive genomics can help discover treatment protocols for cancer, diabetes, and other diseases before symptoms appear.
As knowledge of gene coding grows, this information is becoming readable, writable, and hackable. It has the power to eliminate diseases, create bountiful crops to feed an increasing population, or even transform an entire ecosystem.
Speaker Dr. Jamie Metzl is a leading futurist who specializes in making revolutionary science understandable to the general public. He speaks regularly at some of the world’s most prestigious venues. His latest book, “Hacking Darwin: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Humanity”, explores the many ways genetic engineering is shaking the core foundations of our lives ― sex, war, love, and death.
Dr. Robert C. Green is a renowned physician-scientist and professor of medicine (genetics) at Harvard Medical School and directs the Genomes2People Research Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Broad Institute. He is an internationally recognized leader in conducting research and developing policies to accelerate the implementation of genomic and precision medicine.
Learn more about the event at augie.edu/boe.