New York, New York, New York

I’ll be giving three talks in the next couple weeks in New York.

First up, my lecture at Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn Tuesday. It’s possible I’ll be able to post the video of the lecture later–I’ll let you know. (Out of curiosity–anybody know a good way to combine video and powerpoint slides online? I’ve seen it done, but not on any open social video sites.)

Then come two appearances in the World Science Festival.

First up: Thursday, May 29th 7 pm, I’ll be moderating a panel about Steven Kurtz, the bioartist who was charged with terrorism. (He was also the subject of a movie, Strange Culture). The panel is still taking shape, but it will definitely include Kurtz, and so it will definitely be interesting. More details to come.

Second up: Saturday, May 31, 3 pm, I’ll moderate another panel at the New York Botanical Gardens called “Seed, Survival, Stalin.” Here’s the program description…

Nearly 100 years ago, Russian geneticist Nikolai Vavilov — recognized today as the “father of biodiversity” — created the world’s first seed bank with the dream of ending famine and hunger. Persecuted by Stalin, Vavilov was thrown into a Communist jail and died before he could enact his grand vision, but his groundbreaking discoveries triggered a global revolution in agriculture that continues today.

Peter Pringle, acclaimed journalist and author of The Murder of Nikolai Vavilov, joins Robert Goodman, Executive Dean of the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University, to explore strategies for ensuring the survival of the planet’s botanical heritage in the face of potentially catastrophic global threats. Award-winning science writer Carl Zimmer moderates.

After the panel, some of us will be at the Garden’s Cafe Scientifique, where we can continue the conversation.