The NSU Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences will welcome bestselling author Rebecca Skloot, M.F.A., to Nova Southeastern University as part of the college’s Distinguished Speakers Series.
Rebecca Skloot, M.F.A. | Distinguished Speakers Series
Thursday, Mar. 20
7:00 p.m.
Miniaci Performing Arts Center
Skloot penned The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which was selected as a best book of 2010 by more than 60 media outlets and has spent more than three years on the New York Times bestseller list. The book chronicles the true story of a young black woman who died of cervical cancer in 1951—and left behind an inexplicably immortal line of cells known as HeLa.
Henrietta Lacks’s cells were harvested without her knowledge, but then lived on to contribute to scientific advancements including the polio vaccine, treatments for cancers and viruses, in-vitro fertilization, and the impact of space travel on human cells. Skloot’s book is also about Lacks’s children, who were later used in research without their consent and who’ve never benefited from the commercialization of HeLa cells, though the cells have helped biotech companies make millions of dollars. Part real-life detective story, part scientific odyssey, and part family saga, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks raises questions about race, class, and bioethics in America.
Skloot’s lectures and interviews are known for making complex issues more accessible to diverse audiences. She has appeared on numerous television and radio shows, including The Colbert Report, CBS Sunday Morning, and National Public Radio programs Fresh Air and Talk of the Nation.
Ticket Information
This event is free to attend, although tickets are required for admission. Because seating is limited, tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Monday, Mar. 10: Tickets become available for Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences students, faculty, and staff members
Monday, Mar. 17: Tickets become available for NSU students, faculty, and staff members, as well as the general public
Pick up tickets in the college’s Office of the Dean, located in the Mailman-Hollywood Building, second floor. Limit two (2) tickets per person. An NSU ID is required to obtain tickets for NSU students, faculty, and staff members. For more information, call (954) 262-8236.