Posted on April 27, 2015 in ASRC News
NEW YORK, April 27, 2015 – Brian Greene and John Hockenberry were among the many scientific luminaries at the City University of New York (CUNY) Advanced Science Research Center’s (ASRC) “Transcending Scientific Boundaries” event on April 23. Chancellor James B. Milliken provided a warm CUNY welcome as this distinguished audience arrived at the ASRC.
The event, held in partnership with the World Science Festival, featured three of the ASRC’s initiative directors, Kevin Gardner (Structural Biology), Rein Ulijn (Nanoscience) and Charles Vörösmarty (Environmental Sciences). The directors discussed their own research and examined how multidisciplinary questions like urbanization of the planet, the greying of the population and sustainable technology will require interdisciplinary answers.
CUNY Vice Chancellor for Research and ASRC Executive Director Gillian Small, provided insights into the ASRC’s mission as a unique, university wide integrated research venture that was designed to promote intellectual cross pollination and partnerships between scientific disciplines and laboratories – a literal vertical integration of big ideas.
“I was delighted to have a diverse representation from the New York scientific community present to participate in the discussion among John Hockenberry and the ASRC directors related to the collaborative approach that science needs to drive innovation and truly unlock problems,” Small said.
The ASRC focuses CUNY initiatives in five carefully selected, specialized disciplines that position the university at the vanguard of 21st Century global science – Nanoscience, Photonics, Structural Biology, Neuroscience, and Environmental Sciences. .
Greene, author of books such as The Elegant Universe and co-founder of the World Science Festival, introduced the evening’s program. He commended CUNY and the ASRC for promoting and ensuring an environment of cooperative research.
Hockenberry, a four-time Emmy Award winner and three-time Peabody Award winner, moderated the panel discussion with the three directors that revealed how innovative and collaborative approaches that are enabled by the ASRC can push their work into exciting, unexplored territories and help solve some major 21st century challenges.
Alan Alda, the award-winning actor and World Science Festival board member, and Matthew Goldstein, CUNY Chancellor Emeritus, attended the event and contributed to the lively discussion following the panel conversation.