Joan Steitz – Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University - Recipient of Dickinson's Annual Joseph Priestley Award This talk will trace the origins of our understanding of how small cellular particles contribute to the critical process of splicing and relate this knowledge to today’s quest for treatment of splicing diseases, such as Lupus. The Joseph Priestley Award recipient is chosen by a different science department each year. This year the recipient was selected by the Department of Biology. The event is sponsored by The Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and Student Senate and co-sponsored by and the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Psychology, Physics, and Astronomy and Environmental Studies.