Upcoming Events

The old cliché that life imitates art (or vice versa) is nowhere truer than in the depiction of genetic concepts in motion pictures and television shows. These works of fiction almost always build on real-world discoveries, phenomena, procedures, and diseases. As human and medical genetics have become increasingly dependent on molecular biology, film stories have followed suit. For example, films about animal or human cloning have evolved to include molecular genetic threats, whether viral or through human genome editing. In the never-ending quest for new and novel plotlines, writers and producers seek out scientific and medical experts for story ideas and scientific or medical concepts that will fit an existing story.

This presentation by Wayne W. Grody, a Professor in the Departments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Pediatrics, and Human Genetics, and the Institute for Society and Genetics, at the UCLA School of Medicine, will provide numerous examples from his own experience as a Technical Advisor for movies and television shows. Wayne will illustrate how such expertise is adopted–or sometimes rejected–in pursuit of an engaging story. Other filmic examples will demonstrate the uncanny concordance of the fictional world with many of the thorniest ethical and legal issues we are now facing in the real world of clinical genetics. In each case, the corresponding real-world technology will be compared with the claims of the fictional one.

Education is the driver of economic, workforce and social vitality, and we must protect and vociferously advocate for it amid the shifting landscape of higher education.

Join us for an engaging evening at the Redlands Forum with a captivating lightning talk by Dr. Soraya M. Coley, the President of Cal Poly Pomona. Under her leadership, she has transformed the campus into a model of inclusivity and success, making it an exemplary polytechnic university that empowers individuals to achieve their dreams.

In this presentation and discussion, Dr. Coley will explore the existential crisis in higher education and its implications for the economic, workforce and social vitality of our communities, region, and beyond.

Following Dr. Coley’s presentation, she will moderate an insightful panel discussion featuring James Fallows, a writer and journalist for The Atlantic and The New York Times, Dr. Adrienne McCormick, Provost/VP for Academic Affairs at the University of Redlands, and Dr. Kevin Horan, President of Crafton Hills College.

Robin Quinville grew up in Redlands and then spent more than 30 years as an American diplomat, ending her career as our acting Ambassador in Germany. At this Redlands Forum, Robin will talk to us about what it means to be an 'America-explainer,' how diplomatic work is changing in our networked world, and the challenges ahead. Diplomats aren't just in our Embassies; they are serving in war zones and negotiating in multilateral missions. If you've been asking whether real life is like 'The Diplomat,' now's your chance to find out.