Dr. Marilyn Aardema, a 1981 Hope graduate who is now with the Proctor & Gamble Company in Ohio, will present the first Gentile Interdisciplinary Lectureship at Hope College on Friday, Oct. 14, at 4 p.m. in room 102 of VanderWerf Hall in conjunction with the college's Homecoming Weekend.
Dr. Marilyn Aardema, a 1981 Hope graduate who is now with the Proctor & Gamble Company in Ohio, will present the first Gentile Interdisciplinary Lectureship at Hope College on Friday, Oct. 14, at 4 p.m. in room 102 of VanderWerf Hall in conjunction with the college's Homecoming Weekend.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
Aardema, who is a principal scientist in the Human Safety Department at Proctor & Gamble, will present "Future Challenges in Science: The Need for Interdisciplinary Teams." She will discuss the assessment of new drugs and chemicals for their potential to cause cancer, and among other topics will explore the way in which new technologies make teams representing a variety of disciplines essential to the process.
The Gentile Interdisciplinary Lectureship was established in 2005 by faculty colleagues, former students and friends of Dr. James Gentile. Gentile joined the Hope faculty in 1976 and served as dean for the natural sciences from 1988 to 2005, when he became president of Research Corporation, a private foundation in Tucson, Ariz., that supports basic research in the physical sciences.
Through his leadership, Gentile helped bring national visibility to the college's science programs. As a researcher himself, he has authored or co-authored more than 160 scientific publications, with more than 100 undergraduates participating in his research program. Recognition of his work includes the North American Environmental Mutagen Society Alexander Hollaender Award for excellence in research and education, and election as a fellow of the AAAS.
Aardema, who graduated from Hope with a B.S. in biology, began her active research career in Gentile's lab at the college. She continued with her graduate studies at the University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge, where she was the recipient of a National Institute of Health Predoctoral Fellowship in Genetics. She completed her Ph.D. in genetics in 1985 and began her professional career at The Proctor & Gamble Company that same year.
As a member of the Environmental Mutagen Society she has served in a wide range of leadership positions, while her expertise in genetic toxicology has led to participation in numerous national and international work groups and expert panels. She is an author or co-author of more than 50 publications, and serves on the Editorial Board for the journals "Mutation Research," and "Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis."
VanderWerf Hall is located on the south side of 10th Street between Central and College avenues.