The Biology Department was pleased to recently host Fr. Nicanor Austrico, Associate Professor of Biology at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island and priest of the Dominican order of the Roman Catholic Church, to Hampden-Sydney.  Fr. Austriaco visited classes in bioethics and molecular and cellular biology before delivering a public seminar entitled “What Human Genomics Can Tell Us About Adam and Eve: A Catholic Perspective”

Fr. Austriaco in H-SC’s bioethics freshman seminar

Fr. Austriaco runs an NIH-supported laboratory as Providence that focuses on mechanisms regulating cell suicide while also writing extensively on matters of science and faith.  In his interactions with students, Fr. Austriaco discussed several current issues in bioethics from his unique perspective as both a scientist and a priest.  Fr. Austriaco’s public seminar was part of the biology department’s Biology Colloquium series, where students, faculty, and outside guests present and discuss their research progress with the department’s students.