When I was an undergrad, I used to get e-mails and lots of Facebook invites about various lectures and seminars going on around campus. I would read about them in places like the Weekly Buzz and Weekend Highlights, and they might even pique my interest, but I rarely attended them. Not even free food could incentivize me or most of my peers to attend events such as Town Hall Meetings and health care debates. Now that I’m a PhD student and I’m getting paid to go to school, these types of events are mandatory, and after attending about 10 talks in just six weeks at school, I’ve come to see their value.

Even lectures that aren’t directly related to my field or research interests have been worth attending just for gaining this extra knowledge. For example, this week I attended a talk on the ethics of stem cell research with presentations from Rebecca Dresser, JD, a bioethicist visiting from Washington University in St. Louis and Dr. Mark Noble, a stem cell researcher at URMC. While I don’t ever plan to go into stem cell research, the ethical issues and questions brought up are things that can be applied to all facets of research. I did notice a few undergraduates in the crowd but, for the most part, the lecture was filled with graduate students and post-doctoral fellows who were required to attend.

As an undergrad, I was quick to get wrapped up in my schoolwork and avoid anything outside my normal routine. However, I’ve found that these seminars I attend have made me more knowledgeable not only of my field, but also of the world around me, and I really wish I had gone to a few more over the past four years.

By the way, if you’re looking for an interesting lecture to attend, keep October 16 open in your calendar. UR School of Medicine graduate Donald A. Henderson ’54, leader of the global eradication of smallpox, is giving a talk about his work with WHO to eliminate the disease at noon in Whipple Auditorium. This is a pretty amazing opportunity and I think everyone should take advantage of it!