"Science 2013—Convergence" to Be Held Oct. 2-4

Science 2013—Convergence, Pitt’s annual celebration of science and technology, will be held Oct. 2-4 in Alumni Hall.

The event will include presentations by some of Pittsburgh’s leading researchers as well as keynote lectures by distinguished guest scientists. Science 2013—Convergence is intended to highlight the region’s academic strengths—and associated research—in science, engineering, medicine, and computation. Also to be addressed is research’s role as an economic engine in Southwestern Pennsylvania. All of the forum’s events are free and open to the public, but registration is required (www.science2013.pitt.edu).

Four plenary lectures will be delivered in Alumni Hall’s seventh-floor lecture hall. The speakers and their topics follow.

The Dickson Prize in Medicine Lecture, 11 a.m. Oct. 3, “Rett Syndrome and MECP2 Disorders: From the Clinic to Genes and Neurobiology," presented by Huda Y. Zoghbi, a professor in the Departments of Pediatrics, of Molecular and Human Genetics, of Neurology, and of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine.

Provost Lecture, 4 p.m. Oct. 3, “The New Era of Global Research and Education,” Subra Suresh, president of Carnegie Mellon University.

Mellon Lecture, 11 a.m. Oct. 4, “Recent Discoveries About the Ubiquitin System and the N-End Rule Pathway,” presented by Alexander Varshavsky, Howard and Gwen Laurie Smits Professor of Cell Biology, California Institute of Technology.

Klaus Hofmann Lecture, 4 p.m. Oct. 4, “Anti-Angiogenic Therapy: From Bench to Clinic,” presented by Napoleone Ferrara, Distinguished Professor of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, and senior deputy director for Basic Sciences, UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center.

There will be an Undergraduate Research Poster Reception at 5 p.m. Oct. 3 in Alumni Hall’s J.W. Connolly Ballroom. Undergraduates from across the University will exhibit faculty-mentored posters in basic science, medicine, and engineering.