12 Noon, CS Conference Room (Harold Frank Hall, Room 1132).

Professor Dowling will giving  a general overview of the vertebrate retina, focusing especially on its functional organization.  This is intended to be an informal presentation so that the audience can ask questions, raise issues, and participate in the discussions.

About the speaker:

Dr. John E. Dowling received his  Ph.D. degree in  Biology from Harvard University in 1961. He is presently Llura & Gordon Gund Professor of Neuroscience at Harvard, and Professor of  Ophthalmology (Neuroscience), Harvard Medical School.

Early in his career, Dowling worked as a researcher under Nobel Prize  winner George Wald. During this time, Dowling mapped the exchange of  retinoids between the retinal photoreceptors where they are used in  photoreception and the pigment epithelial cell where the retinoids are  stored. Because of Dowling's work, this process is now described in 
all biology textbooks. In addition, Dowling's groundbreaking work on  the functional organization of the retina laid the foundation for  understanding how the retina begins to integrate and analyze visual  information. Dowling has received numerous awards including the  Friedenwald Medal, the highest scientific award from the Association  for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. He is an elected member of  the National Academy of Science.

Dr. Dowling has published many books, including  the classic "The  Retina: An Approachable Part of the Brain,"  Harvard University Press,  Cambridge, MA (1987);  "Neurons and Networks: An Introduction to  Neuroscience, " Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA (1992); and   "Creating Mind: How the Brain Works,"  W. W. Norton & Co., New York,  NY (1998).

Presentation slides from John Dowling for "Organization of the Vertebrate Retina"

PDF: Dowling_Retina.pdf

PPT: Dowling_Retina.ppt