Festival gives science human face

Distinguished scientists, faculty members, students and administrators listened wide-eyed as… Distinguished scientists, faculty members, students and administrators listened wide-eyed as biologist Susan Lindquist explained how understanding protein folding may lead to treatments for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Later, nearly the entire audience – from eminent scientists to undergraduates – poured out of the auditorium and rushed downstairs for a pizza lunch.

Academic researchers, industrial scientists, business people and science lovers from around the country came to Pitt’s Science2003 festival to discuss new research developments relating to this year’s theme, “Improving the Human Condition.” The third annual festival, which was held last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in Alumni Hall, also put a human face on the process of scientific research by providing a social environment where scientists could meet and discuss their ideas.

Organizers of the symposium planned to feature five plenary speakers, each highlighting a different aspect of “Improving the Human Condition.” This year’s theme celebrated how scientists at Pitt and in the overall Pittsburgh community are developing new ways to detect, control and eradicate disease, Dr. Arthur Levine, senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and dean of the School of Medicine, explained via e-mail.

He also mentioned that other local scientists are making advancements in developing computer technology and exploring the human mind.

The speakers, who came from all over the United States, highlighted this topic by discussing emerging themes in medicine, ecology and chemistry. For instance, Jeffrey Friedman, professor at Rockefeller University in New York, discussed his discovery of leptin, a hormone that regulates body fat, and its implications for obesity.

David Suzuki, professor at the Sustainable Development Research Institute at the University of British Columbia, discussed his experiments, which demonstrated temperature-sensitive mutations in fruit flies. This may suggest that the environment could directly contribute to genetic mutation – possibly through global warming.

Susan Lindquist, a professor of biology at MIT who discussed how the way amino acids fold into proteins can influence a person’s DNA sequence, was this year’s recipient of Pitt’s Dickson Prize in Medicine. This is the most prestigious award offered by Pitt’s School of Medicine.

Stephen Byers, interim director for academic affairs in the health sciences, explained that the award is meant to honor American researchers doing pioneering work that has not yet been fully recognized by the scientific community.

At Lindquist’s lecture, Chancellor Mark Nordenberg added that four Dickson prize winners have gone on to win the Nobel prize.Scientists from Carnegie Mellon University and Pitt also held “Spotlight Sessions,” to discuss hot research topics ranging from new microscopic and computer technologies to infectious agents and vaccine development.

Industrial scientists and non-academic speakers from the Pittsburgh area described the tools and business aspects of biotechnology careers.

The Office of Academic Career Development of the Health Sciences and the University of Pittsburgh Postdoctoral Association also invited local professionals to talk to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows about future science career opportunities.

But Science2003 wasn’t all talk. Between the lectures and presentations, many attendees stopped by the Trade Show, where they could chow down on ice cream, pizza and hoagies, and take a look at the new research gadgets and talk with their developers. Jim Mattison, a representative from Pierce Biotechnogies, said that he enjoyed the opportunity to have discussions with the scientists who use his products.

“There’s a lot of exposure to the scientists who do exactly this every day in the lab,” he said.

The festival’s larger social activities included the opening night reception and Wednesday’s “First Look Technology Showcase,” which displayed new technologies developed by researchers at Pitt and CMU that are now available for licensing. The organizers also put together a “Science Rocks” barbeque on the Cathedral Lawn on Thursday.

“One of the goals of Science2003 is to give all of us who work in science a much broader opportunity than we have on a day-to-day basis to meet and share ideas with other scientists, as well as with people who support science and share a love of science,” Levine added in his e-mail. “On a larger scale, our intent is to make the University of Pittsburgh a regional showcase of 21st century science and technology.”

Stephen Byers, interim director for academic affairs in the Health Sciences and one of the festival’s organizers, said that Dr. Levine modeled the Pitt festival after a program he and several colleagues developed at the National Institutes of Health in the 1980s.

Out-of-town lecturers were unable to attend Science2001: A Research Odyssey because of travel complications after September 11th, 2001, and thus those guests visited Pitt at other times during the year.

Last year’s program, Science2002: Synergy and Science, proceeded as planned.