Federal funding of scientific research in our academic institutions is in jeopardy, but interest is swelling for the UC Davis-based webinar, “Beyond the Headlines: The Invisible Power of Academic Research,” set from 1 to 3 p.m., Tuesday, July 1 (Pacific Time).
Today UC Davis Distinguished Professor Walter Leal (pictured in the profile image) coordinator and host of the webinar, announced that more than two dozen of the world’s top scientists, including four Nobel Laureates and several national organization presidents, will be participating in the open-access webinar.
You can register (for free) at https://tinyurl.com/4krenb5.
Nobel Laureates Randy Schekman of UC Berkeley and UC Davis alumnus and Sacramento native Charles Rice of Rockefeller University will be featured in conversations with a panel of distinguished experts.
Rice, a virologist, won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Michael Houghton and Harvey J. Alter "for the discovery of Hepatitis C virus." Born in 1952 in Sacramento, he received his bachelor's degree in zoology in 1974 from UC Davis. He obtained his doctorate in biochemistry in 1981 from the California Institute of Technology.
“Behind nearly every breakthrough in medicine, technology, national security, and economic growth lies a powerful, but often overlooked, engine: academic research,” said Leal, a member of the National Academy of Sciences. “This webinar sheds light on that story.”
“At a time when academic institutions face increased scrutiny, it is more important than ever to demonstrate to taxpayers how their investment in high-risk, high-reward research yields lasting benefits,” Leal said. “This distinguished panel of scholars will highlight how each federal research dollar generates significant economic returns, often hundreds of dollars per dollar invested, while equipping the next generation of innovators to tackle the complex challenges of tomorrow."
In addition to Schekman and Rice, those participating in the webinar will include Nobel Laureates David Julius of UC San Francisco and Torsten Wiesel of Rockefeller University; Sonny Ramaswamyn of UC Francisco, former director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA); Tsu-Jae Liu of UC Berkeley, incoming National Academy of Engineering president; Marcia McNutt of the University of Minnesota, NAS president; John Hildebrand of the University of Arizona, NAS Council member; May Berenbaum, editor of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; and Michael Crown, president of Arizona State University,
Also Stephen Palumbi of Stanford; David Patterson and Claudia Polsky, UC Berkeley; Susan Strome, UC Southern California; Arturo Casadevall, Johns Hopkins; Greg Pask, Middlebury College; Jason Pitts, Baylor University; Karen McKinnon, UCLA; Peter Burke, UC Irvine; David Clapham, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia), and others. All will share their insights in person or through recorded video messages.
“Together, these voices will underscore the vital role of federally funded university research in maintaining America’s global leadership in science and innovation,” Leal said. “The discussion will explore the long-standing partnership between the federal government and U.S. research universities, a collaboration that drives discovery, serves the public good, and shapes the nation’s future, often without due recognition."
“We will take live questions from our Designated Questioners, including Los Angeles Times education reporter Jaweed Kaleem and UC Davis Graduate School of Management professor Elizabeth G. Pontikes, as well as from the Zoom and YouTube chat audiences.”
He is sounding the alarm to "stand up for science."
For more information, access the registration website or contact Leal at wsleal@ucdavis.edu. Leal, a distinguished professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, is a former professor and chair, UC Davis Department of Entomology.