Biofuels: Hype VS Hope

November 26, 2008

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In this lecture, recorded November 3rd, 2008 at the Biomedical Library, Dr. Kay provides a broad overview of the environmental, economic and security issues surrounding the need to generate transportation fuels from biomass in a sustainable fashion. What differentiates hype from hope, buzz from reality? Can we really feed and fuel the rapidly growing global population? What are the technological and social barriers for success? This lecture is designed for the non-scientist, but will also give a glimpse of how UC San Diego biologists are providing some of the technological breakthroughs required to make biofuels an environmentally and economically sound solution.

Dr. Kay holds the Richard C. Atkinson Chair in the Biological Sciences, and is Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at UCSD. He received his bachelors' degree in biochemistry from the University of Bristol in 1981 and his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the same institution in 1985. He is a Member of the National Academy of Sciences, and has received several other prestigious awards for his work. His academic research concerns the molecular genetic basis of circadian rhythms in plants, animals and humans.