Human Genome Summer To-Do List

The gene
Human Genome Special Assignment: 

Read The Gene by Siddharta Mukherjee.

  • Siddhartha Mukherjee has a written a biography of the gene as deft, brilliant, and illuminating as his extraordinarily successful biography of cancer. Weaving science, social history, and personal narrative to tell us the story of one of the most important conceptual breakthroughs of modern times, Mukherjee animates the quest to understand human heredity and its surprising influence on our lives, personalities, identities, fates, and choices.
  • Where to get it? The UO Library (copies limited), Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local library or bookstore. If purchasing the book is a financial hardship, please contact figs@uoregon.edu and we can discuss options
Braiding Sweetgrass Homepage
OPTIONAL: Read the Academic Year 2022-2023 Common Reading Selection: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Kimmerer.

In Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together through her memoir of living in the natural world and practicing heart-centered science. Drawing on her life as an Indigenous scientist, a mother, and a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings offer us gifts and lessons, even if we’ve forgotten how to hear their voices. In a rich braid of reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world.

Where to get a copy:

  • The electronic version of Braiding Sweetgrass is free to all student through the UO Libraries.
  • Prefer a hard copy? Print books will be allowed available throughout the school year through during pop-up events hosted by Common Reading. However, if you need a hard copy sooner, email commonreading@uoregon.edu for a free copy or go here if you can’t be in Eugene to pick up the book.
 
Contact your FIG Assistant

On the Meet Your FIG Faculty/FA page, your FIG Assistant(s) or FA(s) should have their email or some way to contact them at the end of their bios. You should connect with your FA before you meet your FIG! This is a great way to learn more about the FIG and to ask any questions you might still have.

Can’t find your FA’s contact info? Email figs@uoregon.edu for help!