Phi Beta Kappa Neurology Scholar to Visit Campus

Greg PetskoMary Baldwin will host Gregory Petsko — the Mahon professor of neurology and neuroscience at Weill-Cornell Medical College in New York City — on campus as a Phi Beta Kappa visiting scholar September 11–12.

A member of the National Academy of Sciences, Petsko works on developing methods to treat age-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Lou Gehrig’s (ALS). He is cofounder of the journal Protein Engineering and writes a monthly column on science and society. He served as president of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Petsko will give a public lecture, “Adventures of a Public Scientist,” at 7 p.m. on September 11 in Francis Auditorium in the Pearce Science Center, with a reception to follow. While at Mary Baldwin, he will also visit a comparative physiology class and lecture at Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences.

Since 1956, Phi Beta Kappa’s Visiting Scholar Program has offered students the opportunity to spend time with some of America’s most distinguished scholars. Founded in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa is the nation’s oldest academic honor society, with chapters at 283 institutions. Its mission is to champion education in the liberal arts and sciences, to recognize academic excellence, and to foster freedom of thought and expression.