Read with Us
I want to invite all of you to join our incoming freshmen —the UT Knoxville Class of 2015—in reading this year’s Life of the Mind book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was written by award-winning science writer Rebecca Skloot, who will be speaking on campus at 8:30 a.m. on August 15 in Thompson-Boling Arena. I invite you to attend her lecture; it is free and open to the public.
The book, published just last year, has received wide acclaim, including selection as a New York Times Notable Book and the Amazon.com editors’ choice for the Best Book of 2010. It also is being made into a movie, produced in part by Oprah Winfrey.
Life of the Mind is a common reading experience that gives first-year students their initial taste of academic life at UT Knoxville. This year, for the first time, Life of the Mind is part of a zero-credit, pass-fail course that all first-year students must complete between orientation and the first few weeks of class.
As part of the course, students will read the book, attend a discussion session and the author's lecture, and produce a creative project. Students also complete technology and academic success tutorials and participate in activities designed to help them make the transition from high school to college.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells of the African American woman whose cervical cancer cells, taken during a biopsy and cultured without her knowledge or permission in the 1950s, have been integral in formulating the polio vaccine, unlocking secrets of cancer and viruses, and developing in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping. Scientists have used them to help understand the effects of the atom bomb, and the cells have been sent into outer space to monitor the effects of zero gravity.
The cells are known as HeLa, a name derived from the initial letters of her first and last names.
Skloot’s book weaves together many important themes, including African American history, research, and medical ethics. It’s a perfect book for our students to read as we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of African American undergraduates at UT and as we explore the importance of civility and community on our campus.
We’ve made a video that introduces the book and explains how HeLa cells have been used on our campus, by our faculty researchers. The video features Cynthia Peterson, professor and head of the department of biochemical, cellular and molecular biology; Xuemin Xu, professor, and Mei-Zhen Cui, associate professor, both of pathobiology; and Sally McMillan, vice provost for academic affairs. Take a look at http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/SECU/TabId/1206/VideoId/13259/UT-And-HeLa-Cells.aspx.
To learn even more about the book and author, visit http://rebeccaskloot.com/the-immortal-life/.