February 3, 2011

Second Annual Lawrence Badash Lecture to Explore Scientific Controversies Regarding Human Identity

Alice Domurat Dreger, a specialist in bioethics, will give the second annual Lawrence Badash Memorial Lecture at UC Santa Barbara on Friday, February 18. Her topic will be "Galileo's Middle Finger: Struggles of Science and Identity Politics in the Age of the Internet." Her talk, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 3:30 p.m. in 1174 Humanities and Social Sciences Building.

Approaching her topic as a historian of science and medicine, Dreger will use several case studies to explore the nature of contemporary scientific controversies regarding human identity, and to consider how scientists and identity activists can engage more effectively in productive dialogue.

Dreger is professor of clinical medical humanities and bioethics in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, and a Guggenheim Fellow. She is the author of several books, including "Hermaphrodites and the Medical Invention of Sex" and "One of Us: Conjoined Twins and the Future of Normal." Her essays on science, medicine, and life have appeared in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and the Chicago Tribune.

In 2009, her essay, "Lavish Dwarf Entertainment," was selected by W.W. Norton Company for inclusion its annual volume, "The Best Creative Nonfiction." Dreger also has appeared on numerous television broadcasts as an expert on sex, including HBO, CNN, the Oprah Winfrey Show, and Savage Love. She is a regular blogger for Psychology Today, and is a contributor to the Hastings Center's Bioethics Forum.

Presented by UCSB's Center for Science and Society, the Badash Lecture honors Lawrence Badash, professor emeritus of history, and specialist in the history of physics and nuclear weapons. The lecture recognizes a scholar of science and society whose work has advanced not only the history of science, but also the larger aims of social justice, civil liberties, peace and disarmament, public health, or environmental protection.

Download Printable PDF

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.