The first in a series of three lectures by the RDS/Irish Times Boyle laureate, Prof Tom Cotter, takes place on November 13th at University College Cork. The lively presentation carries the unusual title "From Gene Jockey to Entrepreneur".
Prof Cotter received the 1999 Boyle Medal for his work on the natural process of cell death, called apoptosis. The medal is given to mark excellence in research and was first awarded in 1899.
In its centenary year in 1999 the medal included a £30,000 research bursary sponsored jointly by the Royal Dublin Society and The Irish Times. These funds are used by the recipient to support the work of a postgraduate research student who for three years will work with Prof Cotter on a project to be directed by him at UCC.
The lecture series and the bursary are part of the 1999 relaunch of the Boyle Medal by the RDS and The Irish Times. The lectures are free and open to the public and are delivered in non-technical language so they can be understood by any audience. It is part of the commitment by the two companies to contribute to a broader public understanding of the importance of scientific research carried out here and abroad.
The lectures will be at UCC, NUI Galway and Queen's University Belfast. The first is at UCC on Monday, November 13th, at 7 p.m. in Devere Hall/Student Centre. The second is at NUI Galway on Wednesday, November 15th. The date for the Queen's lecture will be published in Science Today as soon as it becomes available.
Prof Cotter's lecture will tell the story of apoptosis and why cell death is an essential part of life. He will explain how we lose about half our total body weight in cells each year through programmed cell death. He will also relate how he became an entrepreneur and established a company, Eirx Therapeutics Ltd in Cork Airport Business Park.
The lectures are free and open to the public. Regular readers are encouraged to attend as Prof Cotter's presentations are both engaging and easily understood and will bring those attending right up to date in this important research area.