UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Huck Distinguished Lecture Series this April will feature two experts who have distinguished themselves in the life sciences. The Huck Distinguished Lecture Series brings world-renowned scientists and thought leaders to Penn State to share leading-edge research and bold ideas that are shaping the future of the life sciences.
AI for Nature: From Science to Action with Tanya Berger-Wolf, the Ohio State University
- This lecture will be held at 11:10 a.m. on Friday, April 24, in 107 Forest Resources Building at Penn State University Park.
Tanya Berger-Wolf is a professor of computer science engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and evolution, ecology and organismal biology at the Ohio State University. She also serves as the director of the Translational Data Analytics Institute. A pioneer in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for ecology, biodiversity and conservation, she leads the U.S. National Science Foundation funded Imageomics Institute and the US-Canada co-funded AI and Biodiversity Change Global Center.
Berger-Wolf will share how new technologies — from GPS tracking and high-definition imaging to environmental DNA, bioacoustics and crowdsourced data — are transforming how scientists study life on Earth, generating vast amounts of detailed information. But researchers say their ability to analyze that data still lags behind their ability to collect it, according to Berger-Wolf.
That gap has real consequences for biodiversity research, Berger-Wolf said. In many cases, scientists still lack basic knowledge about where species live, how they change over time and how ecosystems respond to environmental pressure, limiting efforts to understand patterns in nature and inform decision-making.
The talk explores how artificial intelligence can help close that gap by turning massive data streams into high-resolution information about living organisms. It introduces “imageomics,” an emerging field that uses AI to extract biological insight from images and outlines a vision of AI as a trustworthy partner in scientific discovery and biodiversity conservation.
Cryogenic electron imaging of macromolecules, cells and tissues with Wah Chiu, Stanford University
- This lecture will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, in Berger Auditorium, 100 Huck Life Sciences Building at Penn State University Park.
Wah Chiu is the Wallenberg–Bienenstock Professor at Stanford University, director of the Division of Cryo-EM and Bioimaging at Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He previously directed the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded National Center for Macromolecular Imaging for over three decades. Currently, he leads two NIH national cryogenic electron microscope (cryo-EM) centers focused on single-particle analysis and tomography, providing nationwide training, sample screening and data collection services.
Chiu will share how cryo-EM has become a powerful tool for revealing the three-dimensional structures of complex biological molecules at near‑atomic detail, rivaling the resolution of X‑ray crystallography. A newer approach, known as cryo‑volume electron microscopy, extends those capabilities to larger biological samples, allowing scientists to study tissues, organoids and whole cells at nanometer resolution.
By capturing detailed images from within these intact samples, the technique offers new ways to identify structural signatures of cellular organization in both healthy and diseased states. According to Chiu, this level of insight could play an important role in advancing biomedical research and supporting future applications in diagnosis, prevention and treatment.
About the Huck Distinguished Lecture Series
Hosted by the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, the series showcases distinguished speakers whose work advances discovery across disciplines — from molecular and cellular biology to ecology, genomics and translational science. These engaging, public lectures create opportunities for students, faculty and community members to connect with pioneering research and explore its impact on society.
Free and open to the Penn State community, the Huck Distinguished Lecture Series reflects the University’s commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, scientific excellence and meaningful dialogue. Each lecture offers insight into innovative research while inspiring the next generation of scientific leaders.