How Life Began and Evolved
Schedule: Fridays, October 2-23, 2009; 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Location: Trilogy at Redmond Ridge, Redmond (see maps)
Reg. # 105245

Course Description

This course assumes no prior knowledge of biology or other sciences; in fact, if you "hate" science, this is a course for you. Participants will appreciate topics such as evolution, extinction, mutation, cloning, stem cells, cancer and the possibility of extraterrestrial life. There will be demonstrations and human-interest stories on how some breakthroughs occurred. Session I: "What is Life?" describes features common to all living things. Session II: "How Did Life Begin?" explains how the first living cell could have arisen from a lifeless Earth. Session III: "How Did Life Evolve?" shows how a single-celled microbe could have evolved over billions of years into today's plants and animals, including humans. Session IV: "Applications from Understanding Evolution" includes examples of the concept-survival of the fittest-to derive better ways for combatting disease, improving agriculture and, perhaps, providing opportunities to assure survival of our species.

Instructor

Winston Brill
Brill teaches "Microbes & Society" to UW undergraduates not majoring in the sciences. Prior to "retiring," he enjoyed three careers: 1) professor at the University of Wisconsin, 2) founder of a biotech company, and 3) consultant and speaker on creativity and innovation. He has received national and international recognition, including the Eli Lilly Award as "the most outstanding microbiologist under the age of 40 in the U.S. and Canada," and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Award for "the most important breakthrough in the agricultural sciences." Business Week identified him as one of top ten most innovative scientists. Dr. Brill has been featured in the television series, Nova, CBS Evening News, Time and Newsweek. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.