Speaker to explore use of biology in creation of technology
During the Newcomb-Tulane College Crossroads Colloquium on Monday, April 16, Nina Tandon, CEO and co-founder of EpiBone, the world's first company growing living human bones for skeletal reconstruction, will discuss how we can create smarter technologies by making cells, nature's elemental building blocks.
Her work on growing artificial hearts and bones that can be put into the body, is at the cutting edge of science where sci-fi meets reality. She believes that cells are our partners in design through an array of innovative possibilities: broken bridges that can self-heal, one-stop body shops for human body parts that render organ donation obsolete, PETA-friendly porterhouse steaks, living looms spinning high-tech fabrics.
She'll also confront the philosophical and ethical questions that come with playing with the power of life via today's technological revolution and collaborative biohacking labs.
Tandon is a TED Senior Fellow and adjunct professor of electrical engineering at the Cooper Union in New York City. She received her bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the Cooper Union; a master's in bioelectrical engineering from MIT; a doctorate in biomedical engineering, and an M.B.A. from Columbia University. She is the co-author of Super Cells: Building with Biology with Mitchell Joachim.
The Crossroads Colloquium is a forum for interdisciplinary conversation on issues of relevance to both humanities and sciences. Monday’s event takes place at 6 p.m. in the Woldenberg Art Center and is free and open to the public.
For more information contact Melissa Weber, at mweber3@tulane.edu or call 504-314-2829.
