Next week at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, Dr. George Church will deliver a lecture on synthetic biology and its human health implications, ranging from treating Lyme disease to age reversal. The talk, to be held at on Wednesday June 10, is titled Recent Revolutions in Biotechnology and Medicine, a Personal View, and is being hosted by the Vineyard Haven library.

Mr. Church is a nationally renowned scientist who has appeared on formats as diverse as National Geographic and the Colbert Report. He is currently a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, and also teaches as a health sciences and technology professor at both Harvard and MIT.

While his upcoming talk will focus primarily on synthetic biology, he has also been known for his work in the field of genomics, including a project to bring back the extinct woolly mammoth. He will speak briefly on this topic as well during his talk on Wednesday.

“I think it’ll be very informative,” said Betty Burton, who is organizing the event. “But George is such a down to earth, funny guy that it will also be probably be entertaining.”

Much of the talk will examine the latest research Mr. Church is doing in areas that can make a significant impact on human well-being. Among them are topics such as biofuels, personalized gene therapies for patients, and synthetic brains.

The event is also a chance for the public to understand in greater detail what is going on in at the nation’s top labs and research centers. Much of the research planned to be discussed may not even be on the public’s radar, and that is in part why the library chose to hold the event.

“They think it’s important for people to understand what’s happening in laboratories across the country,” said Ms. Burton. “Especially ones like George’s that are producing really incredible things.”

The event is free and open to the public, and will run from 7 to 8:30 p.m.