[Claude Moore Med Ed Auditorium ] The first Anderson Distinguished Lecture will be given by Dr. Eric Betzig, winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his stunning work on super-resolution light microscopy*. The lecture will be held at 4 PM on Wed. March 25, 2015 in the Med Ed Auditorium.
A brief introduction to Dr. Betzig:
Dr. Betzig obtained a BS in Physics from Caltech, and then a PhD from Cornell, where he developed the first method to break the diffraction barrier in light microscopy. He then became a PI at Bell Labs, where he refined the technology and explored its applications, including high-density data storage, semiconductor spectroscopy, and superresolution fluorescence imaging of cells. In 1993, he was the first to image single fluorescent molecules under ambient conditions, and determine their positions to better than 1/40 the wavelength of light. He then invented PALM (photoactivated localization microscopy)*, and more recently, as a Group Leader at the Howard Hughes Institute (Janelia Farms, VA), lattice light sheet microscopy. These methodologies have revolutionized our ability to visualize cell machines in time and space**, with innumerable applications in cell biology, cell physiology and medicine.
*The fascinating story of Dr. Betzig’s rather unconventional (risky/bold) route to PALM is told in a video at http://www.ibiology.org/ibiomagazine/issue-2/eric-betzig-and-harald-hess-developing-palm-microscopy.html.
**Beautiful examples of videos using lattice light sheet microscopy can be found at: http://vimeo.com/album/3098015