Baylor Undergraduate Research in Science and Technology Lecture Series Will Host Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Bruce Beutler

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WACO, Texas (April 4, 2016) – The Baylor Undergraduate Research in Science and Technology, also known as BURST, and the Baylor University College of Arts & Sciences will host 2011 Nobel Prize winner Bruce Beutler, M.D., to speak at 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, in the Baylor Sciences Building Room B110.
Beutler’s lecture comes as part of URSA Scholars Week, a series of events held annually to celebrate undergraduate creativity.
Beutler is the regental professor and director for the Center for the Genetics of Host Defense at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering an important family of receptors that allow mammals to sense infections when they occur, triggering a powerful inflammatory response.
“BURST is honored and excited to host Dr. Beutler at Baylor,” said Mallory Myers, president of BURST. “We hope that his visit inspires Baylor undergraduates to consider the value and enjoyment of a life in research.”
“Having a student organization invite and organize a speaking engagement by a world renowned scientist like Dr. Beutler demonstrates how sophisticated undergraduate research activity on the Baylor campus has become,” said Susan Bratton, Ph.D., director of Baylor Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Achievement (URSA).
Beutler holds the Raymond and Ellen Willie Distinguished Chair in Cancer Research and has co-authored more than 300 papers, which have been cited more than 46,000 times. In 2008, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at San Diego in 1976 and his M.D. degree from the University of Chicago in 1981.
“As a Nobel Laureate, Dr. Beutler understands the importance of inspiring the next generation of scientific leadership,” Bratton said.
The BURST lecture series features research experts from Baylor and beyond. BURST seeks to increase awareness of undergraduate research on Baylor’s campus, provide opportunities for undergraduate students to optimize their research experiences and educate undergraduates in the proper habits and techniques of scientific research.
The lecture is free and open to the public. The Baylor Sciences Building is located at 101 Bagby Ave.
For more information, contact BURST.
by Bethany Harper, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
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