“Lab on the Lake” to Kick off World Stem Cell Summit

MADISON, Wisconsin--Stem cell enthusiasts will be able to enjoy Lab on the Lake, an all-day public forum and outdoor festival, as part of the 2008 World Stem Cell Summit organized by the Genetics Policy Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Center and WiCell Research Institute, Inc.

Governor Jim Doyle will open this free kickoff event at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Pyle Center on Sunday, September 21, 2008.

The showcase title event will be real lab experience through which participants can experience hands-on methods that scientists use to grow and study stem cells. Lab on the Lake will include a Career and Education Fair, stem cell documentaries, experts panels, and music on the Memorial Union Terrace.

UW-Madison stem cell scientists James Thomson, Timothy Kamp, Clive Svendsen and Linda Hogle are scheduled guests on an afternoon experts panel hosted by the Student Society for Stem Cell Research (SSSCR). The campus SSSCR chapter is also planning the society’s annual national meeting for its 30 chapters that day.

Lab on the Lake will include “Stem Cell 101” talks by scientists Gabriela Cezar and Rupa Shevde and a stem cell workshop for teachers hosted by the National Association of Biology Teachers.

“I am pleased to kick off this much anticipated gathering of world leaders with a free day of public activities that will allow residents and visitors to engage and learn more about this vastly important research field,” Doyle stated.

“Stem cells are a fascinating new area of discovery that will transform lives for the better,” added Bernard Siegel, executive director of the Genetics Policy Institute. “Lab on the Lake will be an exciting experience geared to making stem cell research understandable and accessible to the general public.”

Researchers, business representatives, philanthropists, bioethicists and educators from around the globe are invited to Madison for the World Stem Cell Summit at the Alliant Energy Center Sept. 22-23, 2008. For more information please visit www.worldstemcellsummit.com or call 305-801-4928.

LAB ON THE LAKE CONTACTS:

Bernie Siegel, Genetics Policy Institute, 305-801-4928.

Jordana Lenon, University of Wisconsin-Madison Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Center, 608-263-2982 or 608-263-7024, jlenon@primate.wisc.edu