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FYI Research: |
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Hungry for ideas? On Tuesday evenings this October, you can engage with some of Carolina's brightest minds at "Ideas to Go," a month-long lecture series hosted by the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education in collaboration with "Endeavors" magazine. First up is Holden Thorp, who will explore how life in the universe began. On Oct. 7, Thorp will bring his research in what he calls the "intimate chemistry of DNA" to the table for a talk entitled "The Origins of Life in the Universe." "I'll talk about recent thinking in the scientific community that there is a deterministic element to chemistry that leads to things like DNA and cells," Thorp says. "The central theme will be the common principles to the molecular complexity that underlies life." Thorp is a professor of chemistry and director of the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. On Oct. 14, Lola Reid will discuss how stem cells might be used to help grow human organs and tissue. Reid, an internationally renowned expert in liver biology and bioartificial livers, is a professor of cell and molecular physiology at Carolina. She holds more than 50 patents. Her talk is entitled "Organ and Tissue Repair: Can Stem Cells Make It Happen?"
On Oct. 21, Susan Wolf will talk about what it means to live a meaningful life. In "Coming to Terms with Life," Wolf will explore her research on the relationships among happiness, morality and meaningfulness. Wolf is a professor of philosophy at Carolina. On Nov. 4, Philip Gura will own up to an unusual relationship with a long-dead American poet. In his talk, "How I Met and Dated Miss Emily Dickinson," Gura will tell the story of how he came to own what may be the second known photograph of the notoriously reclusive Dickinson. The photograph quickly brought Gura international publicity after he bought it on eBay, and he undertook a long process of authenticating the image in response to those who doubted it was truly Dickinson. Gura is a professor of American literature and culture at Carolina. Mary Morrison, a continuing education specialist at the Friday Center, came up with the idea for the lecture series after reading about Carolina research in Endeavors magazine. Endeavors has always been one of my favorite publications on campus," Morrison says. "I thought, `Wouldn't it be exciting to be able to hear these people speak in person and ask them questions?'" "These speakers are some of the busiest people on campus," says Neil Caudle, editor of "Endeavors." "But they're also people who believe in sharing the thrill of discovery. For anybody with an appetite for ideas, this is the place to be."
Register for "Ideas to Go" by calling 962-2643 or 1-800-845-8640 or visiting the web at fridaycenter.unc.edu/cni. Cost varies. Programs begin at 7 p.m. at the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education. |