As part of the Arthur J. Schmitt Lecture Series, the Center will sponsor a lecture by Rev. Nicanor Austriaco, O.P.,  entitled, "Is the Brain Dead Patient Really Dead? A Scientific, Philosophical, and Bioethical Analysis of an Autopsy Report."

Father Austriaco is an associate professor of microbiology and genetics at Providence College, where he teaches courses on general biology, cell biology, genetics, and the biology of cancer. He earned his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Each semester since 2001, the Center has sponsored a lecture series and dinner in honor of the generosity of the Arthur J. Schmitt Foundation to the University of Notre Dame. These semi-annual lectures bring in distinguished speakers from around the world and provide occasions at which the Schmitt Fellows, graduate students in the Colleges of Science and Engineering, can join with other members of the Notre Dame community to reflect on the ethical, political, and religious dimensions of the studies in which they are engaged.