Dr. Dominic Man-Kit Lam Named Brooks Institute's 2016 Spring Commencement Speaker

    VENTURA, CA, April 23, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Dr. Dominic Man-Kit Lam, world-renowned scientist, artist and philanthropist, will serve as the Brooks Institute Spring Commencement speaker on Saturday, April 23, 2016. As part of Brooks Institute's ongoing 70th anniversary celebrations, the school is proud to hold commencement ceremonies at the historic Majestic Theatre in downtown Ventura.

"We are thrilled to have Dr. Lam deliver this year's spring commencement address," said Edward Clift, president of Brooks Institute. "As a scientist, artist, and philanthropist, his life's work is an example of the many ways that visual arts and sciences are intertwined. I am sure that his artistic vision, scientific success, and philanthropic activities as founder of the World Eye Organization will inspire the April 2016 graduating class as they leave Brooks to make their own mark on the world."

Dr. Lam was born in Swatow, China, grew up in Hong Kong, studied in Canada and then served as a faculty member in Neurobiology and Physiology at Harvard Medical School. While serving as a Professor of Ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, he established the Center for Biotechnology and founded the first biotech company in Texas. This led to his nickname, the "Father of Texas Biotechnology." He also founded the Hong Kong Institute of Biotechnology.

In 1992, Dr. Lam invented Edible Vaccine, which has been hailed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as one of the five inventions that will transform business and technology.

While making photographs of the eye, Dr. Lam discovered a process now called "Chromoskedasic Painting," where colors can be produced on black and white photographic paper without using dyes or pigments. Dr. Lam was named one of 99 most important artists of the 20th century by the Chinese Academy of Art, the Artist Association of China and the National Palace Museum.

In 2013, Dr. Lam was selected as "one of eight most influential artists in Hong Kong history" by Professor Laurence Chi-Sing Tam, the Founding Chief Curator of the Hong Kong Museum of Art. His art has been shown worldwide and auctioned at Christie's since 1994, including six works for over $2 million last year.

Dr. Lam's major missions in life are to use the value of his visual art and the knowledge of his visual science to help the visually impaired, and to try his best to have edible vaccines available for disease prevention in animals and humans so that millions of lives can be saved.

"I am honored to be chosen as Brooks Institute's commencement speaker for the April 2016 graduating class," said Dr. Lam. "I believe that these graduates will use their unique talents to positively impact the visual arts community and give back to others."

Spring Commencement will begin at 11:00 a.m. at the Majestic Theatre, 26 S. Chestnut Street, Downtown Ventura. Designed in the 1920s, the elegant interior of gilt has since been restored to its original state, and the exterior architecture was modeled after the Spanish Colonial Revival style. In 1976, the City of Ventura declared the theatre a landmark, and in 1986 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Brooks Institute
Brooks Institute celebrates 70 years of educating students in the visual and media arts. Based in Ventura, CA, Brooks offers bachelor's degrees in fields including Professional Photography, Graphic Design, Film, and Visual Journalism, a Master of Science in Scientific and Technological Imaging and a Master of Fine Arts in Photography. The school is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). ACICS is a national accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education. For more information about Brooks Institute and the school's programs, visit www.brooks.edu or call 805-585-8000.

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