Building a culture of science, one student at a time

London - Leading scientists can have a profound effect on future life choices of students from high school to PhD level. So, as part of receiving a 2009 Canada Gairdner International Award, Dr. Richard Losick will share his research and his love of science with students and the general public on Monday, October 26 at The University of Western Ontario. The Gairdner Lecture will be held in Auditorium “A” of University Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre. The Harvard professor will give a free public lecture on the biology of bacterium from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. and then meet for a lunch-time talk with about 85 London high school students in Auditorium B(across the hall).

“Richard Losick is very inspirational. His excitement about science rubs off on his trainees,” says Thomas Linn, an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. Linn has supervised numerous graduate students in his 30 years at Western, but remembers back to when he was a PhD candidate at Harvard with Dr. Losick as his supervisor. “The supervisor has a major impact on the student. Graduate studies are one-on-one, so you build not only a scientific relationship, but a personal relationship as well.” Linn will be introducing his mentor on Monday.

Losick was recognized by the Gairdner Foundation for his work on fundamental biological questions using bacterium. He says understanding bacteria is important to humanity because microbes are both beneficial and the causative agent of many diseases. The human body is a host to ten times more bacteria than human cells and bacteria are important agents of change in our environment and in Earth's history.

Over the past 50 years, The Gairdner Foundation has gained a reputation for recognizing and rewarding the world’s leading scientists. Of the 298 individuals who have received Gairdner Awards, 73 have subsequently been awarded a Nobel Prize.

The Gairdner Foundation’s second mandate is to increase awareness of the value of health research, and to build the culture of science in Canada. The University of Western Ontario is one of only a few academic centres in Canada chosen to host a Gairdner Awardee.