BioInspired Institute Annual Symposium

BioInspired Institute’s annual symposium will celebrate the excellent work our members and trainees conduct in the classroom and laboratories, while strengthening ties across campus. We are delighted to host the distinguished Wali Lecture in partnership with Department of Physics and the Syracuse University Humanities Center. The Wali Lecture is an annual event where the sciences and humanities converge, fostering dialogue and new perspectives on current topics for all who attend.

This year’s Wali Lecture will feature Eduardo Kac, Professor of Art and Technology Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Originally from Brazil, Eduardo Kac has become globally recognized for his groundbreaking contemporary artwork that addresses a range of ethical and philosophical questions around advances in technology and science. In 1997, Kac coined the term “Bio Art” and inaugurated this new artistic category with works such as GFP Bunny—a genetically engineered rabbit that glowed neon green—and Natural History of the Enigma, a human–plant hybrid born from Kac’s own DNA and that of a garden petunia.

The two-day event will include (times and content subject to change):

Thursday from 2:30pm-4:30pm:

• Remarks by University leadership
• Institute-wide poster sessions
• Reception with refreshments

Thursday from 4:30 pm-5:30pm: Eduardo Kac, Wali Lecture, “Rockets for the Sake of Poetry”

Friday from 9:30am- 3:30pm:

• Remarks by BioInspired Institute Leadership
• Additional invited address (TBA)
• Institute-wide poster sessions
• Faculty and trainee oral talks
• BioInspired programming and research highlights
• Luncheon and refreshments

Poster Competition Awards and Prizes
Best Overall Posters (three)
Best Commercialization Potential

Presentation Competition Awards and Prizes
First and Second Overall