"An Evening of Weird Science" - Jack Bateman, Linnean Professor of Biology Inaugural Lecture

In an era of strained budgets for scientific research, it is easy to overlook the value of studies that seem obscure, niche, or just plain strange. Why support research on bugs and worms or unusual phenomena with no obvious application? This talk will explore how curiosity-driven science, often focused on the odd or overlooked, has led to some of the most transformative breakthroughs in medicine and technology. From unexpected discoveries to major innovations, we’ll build a framework for understanding why we have historically invested in “weird science.” To bring this idea to life, we'll follow a curious research question studied in the Bateman Lab, tracing its path from a century-old observation to our ongoing efforts to understand it.

Jack Bateman is a geneticist who studies the molecular biology of gene regulation and chromosome behavior. He earned a bachelor's degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a PhD from Harvard Medical School, where he also completed a postdoctoral fellowship. He joined the biology department at Bowdoin in 2008.

Sponsored by the Office of Stewardship.
For more information, contact Jenn Berube Lord at jberube@bowdoin.edu or 207-725-3928.
Open to the public free of charge.
A livestream of this talk will be available on Bowdoin's live events website.