The 2008-2009 Whitehead Seminar Series for High School Teachers: Pursuing the Promise: Advances in Stem Cell Science

The past year has brought with it astonishing breakthroughs in stem cell research. From the apparent creation of embryonic stem cells without the use of embryos, to the use of stem cell-based therapies to treat mouse models of human diseases, to the further elucidation of the roles of cancer stem cells, scientists are making unprecedented progress in tapping these cells’ seemingly limitless potential.

Join us this year for Whitehead Institute’s Lecture Series for High School Teachers, “Pursuing the Promise: Advances in Stem Cell Science”. The series will feature talks by world-class researchers working to understand the basic genetic programs of stem cells and how they may be exploited to build the foundation for future therapies.
 
The first seminar of the 2008-2009 season will be held on Tuesday, October 14, at Whitehead’s McGovern Auditorium. Subsequent lectures will be held the first Monday of every month through June. Each session begins at 4 p.m. and includes a lecture and a working dinner, typically ending by 6:30 pm.

We also match interested teachers with Whitehead partners—young Whitehead scientists who serve as a resource during the school year. Partners are eager to answer questions, discuss their fields of expertise, and even visit schools to meet with students. Teachers who have taken advantage of these partnerships in past years have found them to be invaluable relationships.

For more information on the teacher program, please contact Amy Tremblay at tremblay@wi.mit.edu or 617-258-7270.

Participating teachers may be eligible to earn up to 27 Professional Development Points toward recertification.

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Past Programs
2007-2008: Controlling Genes
2006-2007: The Awesome Power of Genetics
2005-2006: New Drugs for Old Diseases
2003-2004: Life in Process: Evolution, Diversity and Change
2002-2003: Biological Challenges to Humanity: Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases
2001-2002: Neuroscience Today: Getting Behind the Mind’s Eye
2000-2001: Beyond the Scientific Frontier
1999-2000: Genomics, Genetics, and Evolution
1998-1999: Bioengineering
1997-1998: Molecular Medicine
1996-1997: Biotechnology
1995-1996: Evolution
1994-1995: Genetic Models for the High School Classroom
1992-1993: Molecular Approaches to Human Disease
1991-1992: Molecules of Life: Exploring Science at the Whitehead Institute

Funded by Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Biogen Idec Foundation.

Last updated March 3, 2009.