Annual Members' Meeting & Evening at Gregor Mendel

5:30 p.m. Report on the State of the Academy

6:15 p.m. Keynote by Dr. Baldomero M. Olivera
See amazing video of cone snails harpooning prey! And learn about the value of biodiversity and genomics for human medicine from this acclaimed scientist who is called The Great Explainer.

Following the Annual Members Meeting:

• Meet the Academy's Modern Mendels
• Children's Activities
• Light Refreshments

"Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics" is open for your viewing pleasure until 8:30.

Keynote Speaker: Baldomero M. Olivera

Studying the biology of venomous marine cone snails for more than 20 years, Olivera and his co-workers have isolated, identified and described several dozen neurotoxins that are secreted by this family of medicinal animals. The work of this Fulbright Scholar has lead to the development of a drug, recently approved by the FDA, which appears to be more effective against chronic pain than morphine. Olivera was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2007 and is the Distinguished Professor of Biology at the University of Utah. He earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology. He is affectionately known by his colleagues as “The Great Explainer.”