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James Thomson, an anatomy professor at the University of Wisconsin, spoke at the Overture Center for the Arts Tuesday night as part of the 10-year anniversary of his achievements in human embryonic stem cell research.

In 1998, Thomson was the first to successfully isolate human embryonic stem cells. This discovery led to major developments in the field, including the creation of the WiCell Research Institute at UW.

Wisconsin Secretary of Commerce Dick Leinenkugel introduced a pre-recorded speech by Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, who could not be at the presentation because of a meeting in California about energy.

In his speech, Doyle discussed Thomson’s “groundbreaking research” as well as many other accomplishments made by UW in the stem cell field.

He expressed pride in Wisconsin’s contribution to this research, saying the state is “helping to drive the future of science and medicine.”

“We feel very proud, Wisconsin, to have such an important and early role,” Doyle said.

Doyle also spoke about the economic significance of the bioscience research industry, which has already provided jobs for 34,000 citizens.

Thomson spoke about his own achievements, as well as the future potential for stem cell technology in medical advancement. He said embryonic cells are “not like normal cells” because they will divide forever and can form “anything in the whole body.”

“There’s simply a lot of cells in the human body that we don’t have access to,” Thomson said.

He said the potential of human embryonic cells to provide this access was “the major legacy of these cells.”

Throughout his speech, Thomson stressed the amount of work that still had to be done in order to make stem cell growth applicable to many medical challenges.

“There’s been a lot of hype in the field. … It’s going to take a lot of hard work,” Thomson said.

He added many of the benefits of stem cell research will and are occurring “in the background” of medical accomplishments, and they won’t necessarily “make the front page.”

In light of the social controversy that still surrounds stem cell research, Thomson said the general population is “ill-prepared” for how much research must still be done.

After his speech, Thomson took questions from members of the audience. He addressed the effect of President George W. Bush’s administration on the field.

“The major damage of the Bush administration was perception,” Thomson said. “What it did was create a climate of restriction and uncertainty,” adding this “climate” encouraged many young students to pursue careers in other fields.

The controversy surrounding the subject was demonstrated in part by the presence of a few dissenters from Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, who gathered in front of the Overture Center before the event.

“We’re just here to present an alternative point of view,” said Diana Pitterle, one of the participants.

“This is Madison,” she added. “Where else can people expect an alternate viewpoint to be heard?”

Thomson said Wisconsin is admirable for pursuing research in this area, despite the disagreements that occur in both political parties on the subject.

“I think that the state of Wisconsin should be very proud that a diversity of opinion is allowed,” Thomson said.

At the end of the event, Bucky Badger made a surprise appearance on stage and presented Thomson with a celebratory cake. The audience joined in singing “Happy Birthday” to human embryonic stem cell research.