Nobel laureate Paul Berg will discuss the clash between science and politics during a special presentation at the ASU College of Law on March 1, 2006 at 4 p.m. in the Great Hall.   Professor Berg’s lecture topic “Brilliant Science, Dark Politics, Uncertain Law,” reflects his activism in public policy issues affecting biomedical issues such as recombinant DNA and more recently, issues concerning embryonic stem cells. His talk is the Fifth Annual Hogan & Hartson Jurimetrics presentation in honor of the late Lee Loevinger, who was a partner with the prominent Washington, DC law firm of Hogan & Hartson.  Mr. Loevinger was an active supporter of the Center for the Study of Law, Science, & Technology at ASU College of Law.

“We are honored to have Paul Berg as our guest. He is not only a world class bench scientist, he is an exemplar of the publicly engaged scientist,” says Andrew Askland, director of the Center for the Study of Law, Science, & Technology.  “Professor Berg has insisted that science is obligated to meaningfully inform the public about its activities.  His leadership in convening the Asilomar conference in 1975 is a model of how public discussions of science policy can address the safety and ethical challenges posed by newly emerging technologies.”

Paul Berg received the 1980 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his fundamental studies of the biochemistry of nucleic acids, with particular regard to recombinant-DNA. His research made it possible to map the structure and function of DNA. His later research was focused on the mechanism of recombinational repair of double-strand breaks in DNA.

In addition to the Nobel Prize, Professor Berg also received the Eli Lilly Award in Biochemistry, the V.D. Mattia Prize for Molecular Biology, was California Scientist of the Year, and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

The lecture, followed by a reception, is open to the public. There is no charge for admission.  The Great Hall is located inside the ASU College of Law Armstrong Hall at the corner of Orange and McAllister Streets, on the Arizona State University campus in Tempe. 

For more information, contact the ASU College of Law, Office of Public Affairs:

Judith Nichols   480-727-7895  Judith.Nichols@asu.edu
Beth Shapiro     480-727-9052  Beth.Shapiro@asu.edu