TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Lecture Series, now in its fourth year, is a significant part of The University of Alabama’s celebration of, and dedication to, the ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On Feb. 12, at 7 p.m. in room 127 (Biology Lecture Hall) of the Biology Building, Dr. Paul Schulte, director, Education and Information Division for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control, will deliver a lecture, “Conducting and Using Scientific Research: Lessons From Epidemiology and Genomics.”

The Biology Building is on the corner of Hackberry Lane and Margaret Drive. Schulte’s lecture is being co-sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Biological Science Education Program, a partnership program with Stillman College.

Dr. Amilcar Shabazz, director of African American Studies and co-organizer of the Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Lecture Series, said that Schulte’s lecture on genomics will discuss important issues of science and ethics that make King’s idea of a “beloved community” more relevant than ever.

“The human genome, as stated in the Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights, underlies the fundamental unity of all members of the human family, as well as the recognition of their inherent dignity and diversity,” Shabazz said. “In a symbolic sense, it is the heritage of humanity.”

From cloning to genetic engineering of food to bio-terrorism, genomics involves many of the most important subjects of our times.

Schulte has conducted extensive research on occupational cancer. He is the editor of an epidemiology textbook, has served as guest editor of the Journal of Occupational Medicine and the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, and was on the initial editorial board of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

He has served as a consultant to various organizations such as the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the National Academy of Sciences, the Medical Research Council of the United Kingdom, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the Department of Energy.