The Lyceum Society comprises the Academy's retired and semi-retired members. Talks cover various scientific fields. All Academy members are welcome.
All Lyceum meetings (except December) are Brown Bag lunches.
Brown Bag: 11:30 AM
Brief-Brief: 12:45 PM
Lecture & Discussion: 1:00–3:00 PM
Brief-Brief Presentation
Natural Knowledge, Mappings and Signs
Speaker: Uldis Blukis, PhD
Uldis Blukis is professor emeritus, Brooklyn College, CUNY, where he taught chemistry, integrated science and history of the science of matter from 1960 to 1991. He is a co-author of a physical chemistry textbook and a series of educational short films. He was in the diplomatic service of Latvia as a representative to the UN from 1991–1998, and a member of the UN Committee on Contributions from 1994–2000. Dr. Blukis holds a B.S. in Chemistry from University of Illinois, Urbana, and a PhD in Physical Chemistry from University of California, Berkeley.
Prions, The history, diseases, and current thinking
Speaker: Arline Cohn, PhD
Prions are small, infectious agents, composed of proteins in a misfolded form. This talk will include a description of prions, their unique properties, how they were discovered, their function in normal physiology and under pathological conditions, the controversies surrounding them, the possible risks of zoonoses, their possible role as agents of evolution, and, finally, how prions may play a role in other neurodegenerative diseases besides "mad cow disease."
The word prion was coined in 1982 by Stanley B. Prusiner, from protein and infection. It is believed to be the smallest infectious particle.
We shall each have copies of all the power point slides to better follow along with this lecture on an earthshaking new menace.
Dr. Arline Cohn is Professor Emeritus of Biology at York College, CUNY (Immunology, Histology, Anatomy / Physiology, and Biology of Aging). Her MA in Physiology is from Hunter, her PhD in Anatomy is from Downstate Medical Center, SUNY, 1971. Among her numerous honors are awards from Rockefeller University and a Presidential Research Award from York College. She has been consultant for several NIH programs, such as the Experimental Immunology Study Section. She has authored or co-authored innumerable articles in such publications as J. Immunology Methods, Clinical Exper. Immunology, Arthritis and Rheumatism, Immunology Today — supported by NIH, PSC, and SUNY.
Registration Pricing
| Member |
$0 |
| Student/Postdoc Member |
$0 |
| Nonmember |
$20 |
| Nonmember (Student / Postdoc / Resident / Fellow) |
$10 |