Home Brewed What?! Science and Perception of the Opium Poppy

Home Brewed What?! Join the Department of Biological Sciences on Saturday, November 28th. Spark your curiosity as we explore the world of plants and the many ways they impact our lives. In our hands-on Discovery Sessions hosted by students and researchers, you can investigate everything from how plants make medicines and chemicals like rubber to how they can detoxify tailings in the oil sands. Now is your chance to ask our researchers and plant biologists’ questions about plants and their pharmaceutical potential. You can even help our biologists extract natural products from plants! At pop-up laboratories throughout the EEEL lobby, children and adults can take part in hands-on activities, such as extracting DNA from strawberries, creating plant-based crafts, peering through microscopes while observing what happens in our laboratories. At 3 PM, Dr. Peter Facchini will present the public lecture: Home Brewed What?! Science and Perception of the Opium Poppy. (Space for the lecture is limited, registration is required) Abstract: Lecture by Dr. Peter Facchini: Opium poppy is one of the world’s most important medicinal plants and remains our only commercial source for narcotic painkillers, such as morphine, codeine and oxycodone. Morphine obtained from the illegal cultivation of opium poppy is also easily converted to the harmful recreational drug heroin. Understanding the unique genetic and biochemical machinery that makes opium poppy an efficient morphine factory has been the focus of Professor Peter Facchini’s research at the University of Calgary for over 20 years. Work in Dr. Facchini’s laboratory has uncovered many of the key genes that allow the plant to produce several important medicines. Recently, these genes have been transferred to baker’s yeast, which could one day be used in place of the plant to produce opiate drugs. However, concerns have been raised about the potential misuse of this technology. Join Dr. Facchini in a lecture on the science and public perception of opium poppy, from the isolation to morphine more than 200 years ago to the brave new world of synthetic biology. Date: November 28th, 2015 Time: Discovery Sessions take place between 2pm and 5pm in the EEEL lobby with the Public Lecture occurring from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm in EEEL 161 Location: Energy, Environment and Experiential Learning (EEEL) Building on the University of Calgary Main Campus This event is free and fun for the whole family! Please register by November 23rd at https://netcommunity.ucalgary.ca/HomeBrewedWhat For parking information, please visit https://www.ucalgary.ca/map/ We look forward to exploring with you! Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science University of Calgary Bio.ucalgary.ca

Location:

Energy Environment Experiental Learning Building

More information at http://www.ucalgary.ca/events/calendar/home-brewed-what-science-and-perception-opium-poppy