Koch, the Lois and Victor Troendle Professor of Cognitive and Behavior Biology at California Institute of Technology, will give his lecture from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Presentation Room of the Oviatt Library, located in the center of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

"Half a century ago, many did not think it possible to understand the secret of life. The two scientists, Jim Watson and Francis Crick, discovered the structure of DNA, forever changing biology and the way we view ourselves in the natural order of things," Koch said.

"We are now once again facing a similar pursuit in determining the material basis of the conscious mind. Consciousness is one of the major unsolved problems in science today," he added. "How do the salty taste and crunchy texture of potato chips, the unmistakable smell of dogs after they have been in the rain or the awfulness of a throbbing tooth pain emerge from networks of neurons and their associated synaptic and molecular processes?"

Koch plans to summarize what is known about the biology of consciousness, outline the limits to our knowledge and describe ongoing experiments using visual illusions to manipulate the relationship between physical stimuli and their associated conscious perceptions.

He also will discuss the limitations of a scientific approach to consciousness.

A professor of computation and neural systems and one of the world's leading neuroscientists, Koch has published hundreds of scientific and popular articles on the topic of consciousness. His book, "Quest for Consciousness: A Neurological Approach," is widely considered to be one of the most complete on the subject.

Koch's presentation is free and open to the public. Parking is available on campus for $5. Parking permits are available at the Information Book at Prairie Street and Darby Avenue.

For more information about Koch's presentation, call the Office of the Dean in the College of Science and Mathematics at 818-677-2004.