Nobel Laureate Martin Chalfie will be visiting U of T later this month for a free public event. GFP: Lighting Up Life is a lecture and Q&A with Dr. Chalfie, hosted by the department of chemistry in partnership with AstraZeneca.
Dr. Chalfie, University Professor and former chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at Columbia University, shared the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Osamu Shimomura and Roger Y. Tsien for his introduction of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) as a biological marker.
His research uses molecular, genetic, and electrophysiological means to address how different types of nerve cells acquire and maintain their unique characteristics and how sensory cells respond to mechanical signals.
Dr. Chalfie's story of discovering and developing GFP paints a picture of how scientific progress is often made: through accidental discoveries, the willingness to ignore previous assumptions, and the combined efforts of many people. His story also shows us the importance of basic research on non-traditional organisms.
For more information and to register visit chalfie-nobel.eventbrite.ca