Beckman Institute celebrates its 20th anniversary

Tamer Basar, Beckman Institute Interim Director, wishes Beckman Institute a happy 20th Birthday during the first night Beckman Institute 20th Anniversary Symposium on Monday, Oct. 5, 2009.
Chris Davis

The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology began the second part of its 20th anniversary celebration with a reception and keynote address Monday.

This event kicked off a two “day scientific symposium where various researchers and administrators will talk about the past, present and future research at Beckman Institute, according to the institute's Web site.

This is the second major event this year to celebrate the institute's anniversary according to the Web site. The first event was held on April 16, the same day the building opened in 1989.

More than 200 students, faculty members and guests from the University and all over the world attended Monday's event.

Tamer Basar, interim director for Beckman Institute, introduced the symposium.

The event's keynote speaker, Susumu Tonegawa, is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and 1987 Nobel Prize recipient.

Tonegawa said much of his research revolves around the molecular and cellular basis of memory formation. He said part of this research included the genetic manipulation of mice.

Michelle Arentsen, freshman in Engineering, said she attended the lecture as part of her Engineering 199 class.

"I honestly did not know this building existed," Arentsen said.

Arentsen said she thought the lecture at the event was an exciting contrast from her typical class lectures.

Qianyi Zhao, graduate student and teaching assistant for the Engineering 199 class, said the symposium was well organized.

"It is pretty awesome," Zhao said. "There is no registration fee and it invited a lot of professors from around the world."

Sharon Tettegah, professor in the department of curriculum and instruction at the University and Beckman Institute faculty member, also attended.

"I really appreciate Beckman," Tettegah said. "It affords me a lot of research opportunities I don't have elsewhere."

According to the Beckman Institute Web site, this week's symposium includes a broad variety of speakers, including current and former researchers who have worked at the institute and other nationally renowned scientists.

The keynote speaker at Tuesday's event is Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health. His talk is entitled "Translational Neuroscience: Then, Now, Imaging." Three former Beckman Institute directors will also speak at the event.

The symposium will conclude Wednesday with a speech by Charles Lieber, professor of Chemistry at Harvard University. His lecture, entitled "Nanowires as a Platform for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology," will be followed by speeches by current Beckman Institute faculty members.