The University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering is honored to welcome Eric Betzig on Friday, Oct 7, as part of the Pritzker Molecular Engineering Nobel Forum.
Betzig, professor of molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkely, and senior fellow at the Janelia Farm Research Campus, will present “Windows into the Secret Lives of Cells” at the David Rubenstein Forum’s Friedman Hall from 3:00-4:00 p.m.
Betzig was awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with Stefan W. Hell and William E. Moerner for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy.
In ordinary microscopes, the wavelength of light sets a limit to the level of detail possible. However, this limitation can be circumvented by methods that use fluorescence, a phenomenon in which certain substances become luminous after being exposed to light. Around 2000, Eric Betzig and William E. Moerner helped create a method in which fluorescence in individual molecules is steered by light. An image of very high resolution is achieved by combining images in which different molecules are activated. This makes it possible to track processes occurring inside living cells.
A reception will be held following the lecture with complimentary food and drink. The event is open to UChicago faculty, staff, students, and affiliate partners.