Dynamics and Repeatability of Evolution in a Long-Term Experiment with Bacteria

Richard Lenski is a University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University, where he studies the genetic and ecological basis of evolutionary change. In particular, Dr. Lenski performs experiments to analyze the process of evolution in action. In an experiment started in 1988, he and his team have maintained and studied 12 populations of E. coli for 75,000 generations to gain insights into the dynamics and repeatability of evolution. Samples are periodically stored in freezers and later revived, allowing cells from different generations to be directly compared - in essence, time travel. Dr. Lenski is a past President of the Society for the Study of Evolution, and he has had fellowships from the Guggenheim and MacArthur Foundations. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. Dr. Lenski has mentored some 30 graduate students and postdocs who are now on the faculties of universities around the nation and world.

Room: Auditorium