2026 Lecture Series: Bonnie Bassler, Ph.D., at Viridian
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About
Tiny Conspiracies: How Bacteria Talk To Each Other
Join world-renowned microbiologist Bonnie Bassler, Ph. D., for a captivating journey into the unseen conversations that govern the microbial world.
Bacteria are tiny ancient organisms. Harmful bacteria have the capacity to kill humans, animals, and plants, while beneficial bacteria play vital roles in keeping humans, animals, and plants alive. How do bacteria do it? They are so small, yet they carry out such big jobs. The answer is that bacteria work in groups: They communicate, count their numbers, and act as collectives.
This talk offers a rare window into the social lives of bacteria – and how understanding their conversations could transform modern medicine.
This event is free to attend with RSVP. Dr. Bassler will give the same lecture at NHMU the previous day.
About the Speaker
Bonnie Bassler is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and the Andrew K. Golden University Professor at Princeton University. Bassler received a B. S. in Biochemistry from the University of California at Davis, and a Ph. D. in Biochemistry from the Johns Hopkins University. She performed postdoctoral work in Genetics at the Agouron Institute, and she joined the Princeton faculty in 1994.
She has received many awards and honors. As some examples, Dr. Bassler was awarded a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in 2002. She was elected to the American Academy of Microbiology in 2002 and made a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2004. She was the 2006 recipient of the American Society for Microbiology’s Eli Lilly Investigator Award for fundamental contributions to microbiological research.
2026 Lecture Series Sponsors
- Founding Underwriter: R. Harold Burton Foundation
- Underwriter: Cultural Vision 30 Year Endowment Fund
- Gold Sponsors: Karen and Ken Buchi; Curt and Mary Crowther; M Lazy M Foundation; Rio Tinto Kennecott
- Silver Sponsors: The DiFiore Family Foundation; Diana George; MSL Foundation; Paula Swaner Sargetakis and Joe Sargetakis | Frog Bench Farms
- Community Partners: The County Library | Viridian Event Center; Kingsbury Hall; Pictureline
- Institutional Support: Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, and Parks