Controversial scientific researcher Craig Venter visited NSU on Nov. 13 to talk to students, faculty, staff and members of the community about “Life at the Speed of Light” as part of the Farquhar College of Arts and Science’s Distinguished Speakers series.
Venter is best known for his groundbreaking accomplishment of sequencing the complete human genome in 2001 and his creation of the first form of synthetic life in 2010.
Prior to his lecture at the Rose and Alfred Miniaci Center, Venter met with a small group of students in the Honors Program to answer their questions about issues discussed in their honors reading seminar classes.
Students enrolled in these six-week classes read and discussed Venter’s autobiography “A Life Decoded: My Genome: My Life,” focusing on the Farquhar College’s 2013-2014 academic theme, “Good and Evil.”
At 4 p.m., about 20 students and faculty members met Venter in the Alvin Sherman Library’s third floor conference room. They asked him questions about issues discussed in their classes, including the potentially dangerous uses of synthetic life, the effects of genomics on medicine and even Venter’s personal life. Venter also took photos with students and signed copies of his books.
Pre-medical students, like junior biology major Haley McKissick, were interested in how Venter’s sequenced genome might affect the medical industry.
McKissick asked Venter where he sees his technology being applied in the future, and Venter replied that there is potential for the genomic sequence to affect the way doctors treat patients, write prescriptions and, most importantly, affect how doctors are taught in medical school.
“The world of education is far behind the present medical technology, and the public is far behind the education,” said Venter. “We have a long way to go.”
Venter delivered his lecture to the NSU community at 7 p.m., addressing some of the controversial work he has done as co-founder and CEO of Synthetic Genomics, Inc., and the good and evil aspects of his scientific discoveries. Venter joked about the Farquhar College’s academic theme, saying that his lecture would address the “good” part of the theme. He talked about his companies, including the nonprofit J. Craig Venter Institute and Synthetic Genomics, and the future projects and technology he hopes to develop.
Many attendees were impressed when Venter mentioned that he is working on technology that will enable him to send probes to Mars to examine the planet for microorganisms and bacteria. The probes will send these organisms’ DNA sequences back to Earth, and Venter hopes to be able to recreate these species in his laboratories.
Robert Smith, assistant professor in the Division of Science and Technology, is amazed by the potential of this technology.
“If it works out, we could be making alien bacteria on Earth,” said Smith. “This changes everything.”
In 2010, when Synthetic Genomics was credited with creating the first form of synthetic life, some critics, including other scientists and religious groups, condemned his achievement and accused Venter of playing God. The $40 million project, according to Venter, signified a new era in which life can be created in labs to benefit humanity.
Venter says he has positively impacted human health and the treatment of disease, and his work enables a better understanding of the environment and could lead to new biological sources of food, fuel, vaccines and clean water.
Venter closed his lecture by inviting the audience to ask questions. Freshman marine biology major Thomas Ingalls was impressed by Venter’s lecture, but enjoyed the scientist’s down-to-earth nature.
“He was humble in answering when someone asked how come he hasn’t received a Nobel Prize yet,” said Ingalls.
The next speaker in the series will be retired U.S. Army General David H. Petraeus, who served for 37 years in the U.S. military and recently resigned as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He will speak on Feb. 6, and tickets will be available for pickup from the Office of the Dean beginning Jan. 27.
