Lecturer: Dr. Bojana Gligorijević, Temple University, USA

Time: 21st November 2018, 14.00

Venue: IBISS Library

Abstract:

Number of applications of fluorescent microscopy has sky rocketed in the past three decades, built on two Nobel prizes: the first one, in 2008 was shared by a chemist and two biologists for cloning the green fluorescent protein, placing it into bacteria and visualizing their growth. The second one, in 2014, was shared by three physicists for circumventing the limits of light microscopy, hence achieving super-resolution. In this lecture, we will discuss phenomenon of glowing in the dark, including fluorescence and bioluminescence, and where they naturally occur. Next, we will talk about how fluorescence can be transferred from species where it naturally occurs into cells, or animals we use in the lab. We will cover current uses of fluorescence in scientific and medical research and the scientific breakthroughs made via fluorescent microscopy. Finally, we will touch on the ways in which fluorescent revolution affected our lives and discuss ethical concerns brought by genetic engineering of “glow in the dark” animals. Lecture will be appropriate for students of any natural science discipline or aspiring scientists who are not enrolled in university classes.