Events
Kuffler Lecture
*Next Kuffler Lecture 4/14/2009 - See Details
The Department of Neurobiology hosts the Stephen W. Kuffler Lecture to honor the memory of the founding Chairman of the Department. Family, friends, colleagues and former students of Dr. Kuffler donated funds in his memory to create an endowed fund to support the Kuffler lecture.
Stephen William Kuffler, “Steve” to about everyone, was born on August 24, 1913 in Hungary where he lived until he was 10 on his family’s country estate. In 1923, his parents moved to Austria and sent him to a boarding school in Vienna. He began his medical studies at the University of Vienna in 1932, earning his M.D. in 1937. Fleeing the Nazis in 1938, he left Austria and emigrated to Australia, where he worked with later Nobel laureates John Eccles and Bernard Katz researching neuromuscular transmission. He subsequently was offered a Seymour Coman Fellowship in Physiology at the University of Chicago working with Ralph Gerard and Gilbert Ling. Steve’s first independent position was at the Wilmer Institute, associated with Johns Hopkins Medical School. He moved to Harvard in 1959 where he made numerous contributions to neuroscience, not the least of which was to train and mentor many young investigators who later filled top academic positions throughout the world. Steve Kuffler served as Chairman of the Department of Neurobiology from its formation in 1966 until 1974 when he decided to give up his administrative duties and return to the lab. Steve had a quick wit, a ready smile and an irrepressible sense of humor. He formed a warm and close friendship with colleagues all over the world. After a full, happy and productive life, Steve Kuffler died on October 11, 1980 (Katz in McMahan 107-134).
Invited Kuffler Lecturers are traditionally individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of neurobiology. Past speakers have been:
| Date | Speaker |
|---|---|
| April 2009 | Dr. Karel Svoboda, HHMI- Janelia Farm |
| April 2008 | A. James Hudspeth, Rockefeller University Recording of 2008 Kuffler Lecture (requires Real Media player) |
| April 2007 | Linda Buck, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center |
| March 2006 | Solomon Snyder, The Johns Hopkins Hospital |
| January 2005 | Cornelia Bargmann, The Rockefeller University |
| February 2004 | Eric Knudsen, Stanford University |
| January 2003 | Thomas Jessell, Columbia University |
| January 2002 | William Newsome, Stanford University |
| January 2001 | David Julius, University of California |
| December 1999 | Lily and Yuh Nung Jan, University of California |
| November 1997 | Kevin Campbell, University of Iowa |
| December 1996 | Joshua Sanes, Washington University |
| February 1996 | Robert Horvitz, MIT |
| April 1995 | Carla Shatz, University of California |
| December 1993 | Susumu Tonegawa, MIT |
| October 1992 | Bertil Hille, University of Washington |
| May 1992 | Torsten Weisel, Rockefeller University |
| May 1990 | Gerald Fischbach, Washington University |
| May 1989 | Viktor Hamburger, Washington University |
| April 1988 | Paul Greengard, Rockefeller University |
| April 1987 | Seymour Benzer, University of California |
| May 1986 | Ricardo Miledi, University of California |
Work cited:
Katz, Sir Bernard. “Stephen William Kuffler.” Steve: Remembrances of Stephen W. Kuffler. Ed. U.J. McMahan. Sunderland, Massachusetts: Sinauer Associates, Inc., 1990.