Control Mechanisms in Development:Activation, Differentiation, and Modulation in Biological Systems

This symposium was not only a happy event for the University of Nebraska, but it marked a milestone in the history of the biological sciences here. The symposium celebrated, in the most appropriate way possible, the creation of the new School of Life Sciences and ushered in what I believe will be a period of substantial development for biology on this campus. I am immensely proud of the faculty of this new School, and I have every confidence that the School's reputation and achievements will continue to grow. As you all know, this university has had and still has distinguished scientists in the biological sciences and has offered fine programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level. But both the formation of the School of Life Sciences and the construction of the new Life Sciences Building promise a brighter future in this important area. The School of Life Sciences was formed from the Departments of Botany, Microbiology, and Zoology, together with staff members in Biochemistry (from both the Department of Chemistry and from the former Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition in the College of Agriculture) as well as staff members in the College of Agriculture's Department of Plant Pathology. Our whole notion was to build a core unit in biology that would cross the lines between the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Agriculture in order to combine strengths which exist in both areas. Despite the administrative difficulties that could have stood in the way of this development, it has proved to be a very workable concept, and we are delighted at the way things are going. Why should the university be building additional strengths in biology at this time? First of all, we all recognize that agriculture is of vital importance not only to Nebraska but to the entire world. Advances in agriculture are clearly going to depend on a solid foundation of basic biological research. Secondly, biology is obviously deeply involved in questions of environment, of health care, of aging and of other societal problems. This is not in any way to suggest that an understanding of biology for its own sake is not important, but to point out some of the areas in which the university feels it has an obligation to contribute and in which strength in basic and applied biology is absolutely essential. With the combination of the strong College of Agriculture, a strong School of Life Sciences, and continued commitment on the part of the university and the state, we believe we have a magnificent opportunity to build a center of excellence in biology that will incorporate the excitement of this field into undergraduate education while training future scientists and pushing back the frontiers of knowledge.