Connections with educators and scientists at this previous monthly seminar series for middle and high school science teachers focused on recent developments in a guest scientist’s area of expertise, with particular emphasis on those aspects that were of greatest interest and significance to science teachers.
Past speakers have included five Nobel Laureates (see below), six Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators, 46 members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and two winners of the National Medal of Science.
Francis Crick, who discussed the mechanism of vision
Sydney Brenner, who provided an eyewitness account of the early discoveries leading to the formulation of the “Central Dogma” of molecular biology
Roger Tsien, who discussed his research on fluorescent proteins
Kurt Wüthrich, who spoke about the use of NMR for analyzing protein structure
Hamilton Smith, who shared about the initial discovery of restriction endonuclease enzymes
Perspectives on Science (POS) began as an idea in spring 1998, when a group of educators and scientists gathered on the PLNU campus to discuss how ongoing interactions could best be fostered between San Diego County science teachers and leading research scientists in Southern California.