Joram Piatigorsky
Author ~ Collector ~ Scientist
Out Now!
He made a deathbed promise to research cancer cures. When a marvelous natural wonder calls, will ignoring his conscience lead to ruin?
2048. Ricardo Sztein craves knowledge. Cocooned in grief after the loss of his wife of four decades, the nationally recognized scientist is roused from his stupor by an incredible discovery. Fascinated by evolution and counterintuitive research, he ignores his promise to his dying spouse to find a cure for cancer in favor of learning more about jellyfish eyes.
Tormented by insecurity and doubts, Ricardo’s increasing jealousy of his closest friend pushes him further past the point of no return. So when he proudly publishes his findings to the world, he’s stunned to be facing a criminal trial.
Will his endless thirst for understanding leave his career in ruins?
Jellyfish Have Eyes is the thought-provoking first book in the Jellyfish Have Eyes science fiction series. If you like inspirational characters, page-turning conflict, and serious discussions of important issues, then you’ll love Joram Piatigorsky’s provocative tale.
The Jellyfish Have Eyes Trilogy is comprised of:
While I never set out to be a collector of Inuit art, it’s been exciting to see what started as an attraction become a passion and develop over 35 years into a collection. In a way, it’s like raising a child and seeing the child develop into a successful, independent life of its own. In addition to the many blogs I’ve written about my Inuit art collection, I launched a website — InuitBeautiful.com — last year to share the collection. I hope you’ll join me here and on InuitBeautiful.com to explore the beautiful and fascinating art of the Inuit.
Basic Research Award
Science exploration is like an itch. You can scratch at the surface but the tingle to dig deeper is always there. And can’t be ignored, even in retirement. Or should I say, particularly in retirement!
I spent close to 50 years in science as a molecular biologist and eye researcher, first at Caltech as a graduate student from 1962 to 1967, and then at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In 1981, I founded the Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology at the National Eye Institute and served as its chief until 2009, when I closed my laboratory and became a Scientist Emeritus, an NIH position I hold presently.
My passion for science and basic research — which I see as destination-free research, as well as my gratitude to the National Eye Institute (NEI) — led me to establish a science award at NEI to encourage scientist to go where their research led them.
Dr. Dan-Eric Nilsson, a professor at Sweden’s Lund University, was the first recipient of the Joram Piatigorsky Basic Science Lecture and Award in the Spring of this year. Dr Nilson is renowned researcher and lecturer, and co-author of Animal Eyes (Oxford University Press), a biological study that explores the evolution and science behind not only human eyes, but those across all animal phyla.
His research on the eye and vision, as well as its general significance in biology, epitomizes the basic nature of this Award, and his experience presenting his research to wide audiences sets him apart. His lecture is well worth listening to.
