Nobel Laureate Chosen as Keynote Speaker for 20th Anniversary Symposium
MIT's Susumu Tonegawa to Open Three-day Beckman Symposium
Susumu Tonegawa
Nobel Laureate Susumu Tonegawa of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has been chosen as the keynote speaker for the Beckman Institute’s 20th Anniversary Symposium, set for Oct. 5-7.
Tonegawa, who won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine “for his discovery of the genetic principle for generation of antibody diversity” in 1987, will open the Symposium with a keynote lecture at 7 p.m., Monday, Oct. 5, in the Beckman auditorium. The following two days will feature talks, panel discussions, poster sessions, and reflections from current and former Beckman administrators and faculty on the past, present, and future of the Institute.
Beckman Institute Interim Director Tamer Başar said the 20th Anniversary Symposium will be a fitting tribute to the leading-edge science that continues to be the Institute’s hallmark.
“The participation in this event of so many of the people who have helped make or are still helping to make the Beckman Institute what it is testifies to the value of the work that goes on here,” Başar said. “In addition, to have a keynote speaker of the stature of Dr. Tonegawa confirms the reputation in the world of science and research that the Beckman Institute has forged over the past 20 years.”
Tonegawa is the Picower Professor of Biology and Neuroscience, Departments of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Biology, at MIT. He was the founder and served as director of the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT, and is currently the director of the RIKEN-MIT Neuroscience Center at the Institute. He is also a member of the Scientific Board of Governors at The Scripps Research Institute, as well as an Alumni Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Tonegawa, who earned a Ph.D. in molecular biology, was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discoveries of the role that genetics play in immunology. Early in his research career Tonegawa focused on the ongoing debate over the genetic origins of antibody diversity. He discovered, as he writes in his Nobel autobiography, that “this diversity is generated by somatic recombination of the inherited gene segments and by somatic mutation.”
Tonegawa continued research in this area over the next few years before turning his attention to understanding the underlying biological mechanisms involved in brain function, especially memory. His MIT Web page says that his lab’s main focus is in understanding “the molecular, cellular, neuronal circuitry, and neural systems mechanisms underlying learning and memory and associated cognitive functions.”
Başar said Tonegawa is the perfect choice as the 20th Anniversary Symposium keynote speaker.
“Even though he was a Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Tonegawa had a desire to expand his research beyond that highly successful line of investigation into new areas such as brain function,” Başar said. “That willingness to go beyond the boundaries of his academic discipline and explore new fields exemplifies the commitment to excellence and interdisciplinary approach found at the Beckman Institute.”
After Tonegawa’s talk on Oct. 5, the 20th Anniversary Symposium will feature lectures and discussions about the beginnings, history, and future of research at the Institute. Additional keynote speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.
Current and former Beckman faculty and administrators will give talks and lead discussions on topics such as research milestones, happenings in the Institute’s four research themes, and visions for the future.
For more information on the 20th Anniversary Symposium, click here.