10/30/03
Cathy Drennan (2001 Searle Scholar) receives ASBMB Schering-Plough Award for 2003
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) - Schering-Plough Research Institute Award is given annually in recognition of outstanding research contributions to biochemistry and molecular biology by an individual with no more than ten years post-doctoral experience. This award represents the highest honor that a junior faculty member working in area of biochemistry can receive. Recent past recipients include Searle Scholar Stephen Bell, who received the award in 2001.
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10/28/03
Searle Scholar Ron Raines Receives Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award
Ron Raines (1990 Searle Scholar) has been named a 2004 recipient of the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award by the American Chemical Society. The Cope Scholar Award is given "to recognize and encourage excellence in organic chemistry." He will receive the award and present an address on August 24, 2004 at the 228th ACS National Meeting in Philadelphia, PA.
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10/07/03
Technology Review Picks Two 2002 Scholars among Top 32 Young Scientists in Biotechnology and Medicine.
Ram Samudrala and Jay Groves were honored in the October 2003 issue of Techology Review as being among today's "most exciting young innovators: the lab dwellers, visionaries, and dealmakers whose work will utterly transform our world in the years to come."
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10/06/03
Xiaowei Zhuang, 2003 Searle Scholar, becomes fourth Searle Scholar to win MacArthur "genius" award.
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced October 5th the names of its 24 Fellows for 2003. Among them is new Searle Scholar Xiaowei Zhuang, in the Chemistry Department at Harvard University. Xiaowei's biography on the MacArthur website describes her research employing single molecule techniques to study protein folding and to study endocytosis and exocytosis in mammalian.
The MacArthur Foundation awards unrestricted fellowships of $500,000, paid over five years, "to talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction." These awards, sometimes known as genius awards, are given to "writers, scientists, artists, social scientists, humanists, teachers, activists, or workers in other fields, with or without institutional affiliations. They may use their fellowship to advance their expertise, engage in interdisciplinary work, or, if they wish, to change fields or alter the direction of their careers."
Searle Scholars who received MacArthur awards in previous years are Richard Mulligan, David Page, and Geraldine Seydoux.
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7/10/03
Searle Scholars Jennifer Doudna, Michael Greenberg, and Dan Littman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences elects each year a handful of new members in each of many fields. Within the sciences, our own Jennifer Doudna ('96 Scholar), Michael Greenberg ('87 Scholar) and Dan Littman ('86 Scholar and former Advisory Board member) were included in this very select group. Jennifer Doudnas research is on the structure of RNA molecules and of RNA-protein complexes. Michael Greenberg studies the formation and modification of connections in the brain that correlate with development of sensory capabilities and with learning. Dan Littmans research is focused on T-cells of the immune system and upon the mechanisms through which the AIDS virus infects these cells. Among the non-scientists elected this year were Kofi Annan, Water Cronkite, Antonin Scalia, and Bill Gates.
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7/10/03
Searle Scholars Cori Bargmann, Cynthia Kenyon, and Joe Takahashi elected to the National Academy of Sciences
Of the 72 newly elected members of the National Academy of Sciences, three are former Searle Scholars. Both Cori Bargmann ('92 Scholar) and Cynthia Kenyon ('86 Scholar) have been exploiting the molecular genetic advantages of nematodes in their research. Coris work has focused upon how the nervous system, particularly the sensory system, forms its connections during development and how the system then functions in behavior of the organisms. Cynthia's work is focused on genes involved not only in development and reproduction but also in aging. The work on aging has identified mechanisms that could be at work in people as well, and this work has garnered a great deal of publicity, including interviews with Cynthia on NPR. Another NPR interviewee, Joe Takahashi ('85 Scholar), studies the mechanisms that regulate biorhythms. His lab has discovered the mammalians that control our biological clockand found mutations that change these rhythms. In addition to these Scholars, former Advisory Board member Rudolf Jaenisch was also elected to the NAS this year.
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6/12/03
FIFTEEN SEARLE SCHOLARS NAMED FOR 2003
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - Fifteen individuals doing research in the chemical and biological sciences will each have an additional $240,000 to support their research programs during the next three years. The fifteen have been named as the 2003 Searle Scholars. With the names announced today, 363 Searle Scholars have shared over $62,580,000 in grants made since the program began in 1981. This year, 164 applications were considered from recently appointed assistant professors, nominated by 116 universities and research institutions. The final selection of Scholars was based on recommendations made by a Scientific Advisory Board of eleven scientists distinguished for their research and leadership in fields of interest to the Searle Scholars Program.
In selecting the Scholars, the Board looked for individuals who have already demonstrated innovative research with the potential for making significant contributions to biological research over an extended period of time.
The funds that support the awards come from trusts established under the wills of John G. and Frances C. Searle. Mr. Searle was President of G.D. Searle & Co., of Skokie, Illinois, a research-based pharmaceutical company. Mr. and Mrs. Searle expressed the wish that some of the proceeds of their estates be used for the support of research in medicine, chemistry, and biological science.
In 1980, members of the Searle family acting as Consultants to the Trustees of the Trusts established under the wills of Mr. & Mrs. John G. Searle, recommended the development of a program of support for young biomedical scientists. This idea evolved into the Searle Scholars Program, which is funded through grants from the family trusts to The Chicago Community Trust and administered by Kinship Foundation in Northbrook, Illinois.
2003 Class of the Searle Scholars Program
- Michael Brainard, University of California, San Francisco
- Jay Brenman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Christopher Burge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Anjen Chenn, Northwestern University
- Thomas R. Clandinin, Stanford University
- Luis Rene Garcia, Texas A&M Research Foundation
- Barth D. Grant, Rutgers University
- Chuan He, University of Chicago
- Brian K. Kennedy, University of Washington Medical School
- Walther H. Mothes, Yale School of Medicine
- Maho Niwa, University of California, San Diego
- F. Nina Papavasiliou, The Rockefeller University
- Stanislav Y. Shvartsman, Princeton University
- Milan N. Stojanovic, Columbia University
- Xiaowei Zhuang, Harvard University
3/19/03
Sharon Thompson-Schill (2000 Searle Scholar) to Receive Young Investigator Award from the Cognitive Neuroscience Society. The award is presented each year "to recognize outstanding contributions by scientists early in their careers." Two awardees are named each year and will be honored at the annual meeting of the society in New York, March 23, 2003.
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1/16/03
Milan Mrksich (1996 Searle Scholar) one of two recipients of the Arthur C. Cope Young Scholar Awards, will present and address before the Division of Organic Chemistry at the 226th ACS National Meeting in New York, NY in September 2003.
