22 April 2010
'The development of pattern and form' - Saturday Evening Lecture Series continues
The 150th anniversary of D'Arcy Thompson's birth will be celebrated next week when Professor Lewis Wolpert delivers the latest instalment of the University of Dundee’s popular Saturday Evening Lecture Series.
Professor Wolpert is an eminent developmental biologist, author and broadcaster. His talk, ‘The Development of Pattern and Form’, which takes place on Saturday, May 1st, will examine the programmed development of embryos from a single cell, as well as discussing D’Arcy Thompson’s masterpiece, On Growth and Form.
'I was very much enchanted with D'Arcy Thompson when I was younger and first came across his work,' explained Professor Wolpert. 'I will be paying tribute to the man and discussing my personal experiences of his work.
'As a cell biologist, my work is concerned with the mechanical properties of cells and their development. We all come from a single cell, the fertilised egg, and that is something I still find pretty amazing. My lecture will see me explain more about this, and how the embryo develops from there.'
During development, cells exert physical forces that bring about changes in form, and there are mechanisms for patterning the embryo based on the cells knowing their position as in a coordinate system. Professor Wolpert will explain these developments, and other scientific processes, in an accessible style when he delivers his talk.
Originally from South Africa, Professor Wolpert studied engineering at the University of Witwatersrand before attaining a PhD in embryology from King's College London.
He is presently Emeritus Professor of Biology as applied to Medicine at University College London and Vice-President of the British Humanist Association. Professor Wolpert is a Fellow of both the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Literature, and was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1990.
The popular Saturday Evening Lecture Series - now in its 86th year - is Scotland's oldest continuous free public lecture series, and attracts thousands of people each year to hear from prestigious, world-class speakers.
'The Development of Pattern and Form' takes place at the University's Dalhousie Building from 6pm on Saturday, May 1st. A drinks reception will follow the event, for which overflow theatres may be in use.
Free tickets are available from the University's Tower Reception and Events Office, by calling 01382 385564, emailing events@dundee.ac.uk or visiting www.dundee.ac.uk/tickets.
Celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Professor Sir D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson, founder of the University's Zoology Museum and pioneer of Life Sciences in Dundee, take place during May 1st-3rd.
Timed to coincide with the polymath's 150th birthday, the programme also includes music and talks in the D'Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum on May 1st and a special opening of the museum the following afternoon, when a street theatre performance of a specially commissioned drama about his life will take place.
On Monday, May 3rd, there will be a public performance of D'Arcy inspired poetry by creative writing students.
A major exhibition of D'Arcy Thomson's work continues at the Lamb Gallery in the Tower Building until 22 May. D’Arcy Thompson: Growth and Form highlights his work at University as well as his international fisheries work and expeditions to the Bering Sea on behalf of the British Government.
It includes unique material from the collections of the Universities of Dundee and St Andrews, National Museums Scotland, Perth Museum & Art Gallery and the St Andrews Preservation Trust Museum.
For more information on the celebrations visit www.darcythompson.org/.
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
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