Nobel Prize Recipient Peter Agre, M.D., to Speak at Moravian
Saturday, October 2
Peter Agre, M.D.
recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
"The Joys and Tears of a Life in Medical Science"
Prosser Auditorium, 8:00 p.m.
Peter Agre, MD., winner of a Nobel Prize in Chemistry, will visit Moravian to speak about "The Joys and Tears of a Life in Medical Science." The program will be attended by Moravian alumni working in the medical field, as well as faculty members and students from the College and other LVIAC institutions (Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges). The public is also welcome to attend; admission is free.
Dr. Agre is president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the nation’s largest scientific organization. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2003 for his discovery of aquaporins, proteins in the cell membrane that regulate the flow of water. He currently serves as the director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, where his research focuses on the structural and functional characterization of aquaporins in relation to malaria.
Agre earned an M.D. degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1974. Following postgraduate training and a fellowship, he returned to Johns Hopkins, where in 1993 he advanced to professor of biological chemistry. In 2000 he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. During his tenure with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Agre co-founded and directed the Johns Hopkins Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, the first NIH-funded program in molecular medicine. He joined Duke University Medical Center in 2005, as vice chancellor for science and technology and James B. Duke professor of cell biology. He holds two U.S. patents on the isolation, cloning, and expression of aquaporins, and is the principal investigator on four current National Institutes of Health grants. He has been honored with the Homer W. Smith Award, given jointly by the American Society of Nephrology and the American Heart Association for research that has advanced the understanding of kidney disease.
Agre is a sought-after speaker on the topics of science in politics and the state of American scientific knowledge. Read his inspiring autobiography on the Nobel Prize website. View his lively discussion of these topics while having fun on The Colbert Report.
Moravian College encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. Anyone who anticipates needing any type of accommodation or who has questions about the physical access provided should contact Kathi Roman at katro@moravian.edu or 610 625-7880 at least one week prior to visiting Moravian.