September 25-October 1, 2008 Harvard University Gazette/ 3 Nine Harvard faculty among 47 named Pioneers, Innovators by NIH

By Alvin Powell neer Award and young scientists through portant scientific challenges with bold ideas years to researchers who have not received Harvard News Office the New Innovator Award. and inventive technologies that promise to an NIH regular research grant in the past. The awards support potentially high-im- break through barriers and radically shift Nine Harvard faculty members are among pact research whose approaches have the our understanding.” Harvard faculty members who won 47 scientists nationally whose promising and potential to transform biomedical and be- Zerhouni said the programs are central Pioneer Awards are: innovative work was recognized Monday havioral science. to NIH’s efforts to encourage novel investi- ICharles M. Lieber, the Mark Hyman Jr. (Sept. 22) with the announcement of two “Nothing is more important to me than gator-initiated research and to support Professor of Chemistry in the Faculty of Arts grant programs through the National Insti- stimulating and sustaining deep innovation, more investigators early in their careers. and Sciences, will develop interfaces be- tutes of Health (NIH). especially for early career investigators and Pioneer Awards provide $2.5 million in tween nanoelectronic devices and cells to The grants, expected to total $138 million despite challenging budgetary times,” said direct costs to established investigators over create new biomaterials and tools for study- over five years for all recipients, recognize NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni. “These five years. The New Innovator Awards pro- ing the brain. His group’s initial focus under established researchers through the Pio- highly creative researchers are tackling im- vide $1.5 million for direct costs over five (See NIH, next page)

NEWSMAKERS

Courtesy of James Ackerman Historian of Renaissance archi- tecture James S. Ackerman

Ackerman awarded Golden Lion File Justin Ide/Harvard News Office Physicist Lene Hau’s manipulation and controlling of light could be of great importance for next-generation for contributions to architecture computing and lead to practical applications in optical networks and quantum cryptography. The 2008 Venice Biennale award committee has conferred on James S. Ackerman, the Arthur Kingsley Professor Hau awarded prestigious Ledlie of Fine Arts Emeritus at Harvard Univer- sity, its prestigious Golden Lion for Life- Occasional prize goes to one who makes ‘the most valuable contribution to science’ time Achievement. The award citation praised Ackerman’s contributions to ar- chitecture, calling him “the doyen of the By Michael Patrick Rutter international community of historians of SEAS Communications finding, bringing light to a complete stand- ing example of how taking daring intellec- still before restarting it and sending it once tual risks leads to profound rewards.” Renaissance architecture,” adding, “He again on its path. Hau, a recently elected member of the is one of the scholars to have created In early 2007, Lene Hau’s “trick of the “The highly original discoveries of Lene Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and a the modern history of architecture, light,” stopping and switching off a light and her lab remind all of us who pursue re- 2001MacArthur “Genius” Fellow,received founded on a systematic approach and pulse in one part of space and then rekin- search of those ‘ah-ha’ moments that led us her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from the making use of a critical examination of dling it in another location, gave the public into the profession in the first place,” said University of Aarhus in her home country all written and visual sources.” and experts alike pause — just enough time Frans Spaepen, interim dean of Harvard’s of Denmark. Her Ph.D. work was in theo- As an author, Ackerman is perhaps to let in wonder. School of Engineering and Applied Sci- retical solid state physics, a field complete- best known for his influential book “Pal- The media latched on to metaphors, ences (SEAS) and John C. and Helen F. ly different from that of her later work with ladio” (1966), which investigates the im- from the sublime (“evokes the magic of car- Franklin Professor of Applied Physics. “I ultracold atoms. pact of this historic figure. Ackerman is rying moonbeams in a jar”) to the poetic hope her success encourages the next gen- In 1989, she received the prestigious J.C. a member of the British Academy, the (“visions in the dark of light”) to the pedes- eration of innovators to be bold, take risks, Jacobsen Anniversary Fellowship, award- Royal Academy of Arts, the Centro Inter- trian (“it’s like three-card Monte”). A col- and go after the fundamental questions ed by the Carlsberg Foundation of Den- nazionale di Studi di Architettura in Vi- league in physics, John Preskill of the Cal- that really inspire them. mark. She came to Harvard as a postdoc- cenza, and the Ateneo Veneto end of the ifornia Institute of Technology, even com- As with Hau’s latest discovery of ex- toral fellow to pursue research with Jene Accademia di San Luca in Rome. posed a poem in honor of Hau (“But Lene changing light and matter,the work has life Golovchenko, Rumsford Professor of Hau has built a nest/Where tired light can beyond the lab. Manipulating and control- Physics and Gordon McKay Professor of Pardis Sabeti awarded stop to rest”). ling light could be of great importance for Applied Physics,who held positions at Har- Packard Fellowship The pursuit of such scientific wizardry next-generation computing and lead to vard and the then-independent (and now The David and Lucile Packard Founda- led the President and Fellows of Harvard practical applications in optical networks FAS-run) Rowland Institute of Science. In tion has recently awarded Pardis Sabeti, College to award Hau, Mallinckrodt Pro- and quantum cryptography. 1991 Hau became a member of the scientif- an assistant professor in the Center for fessor of Physics and of Applied Physics, “This feat, the sharing around of quan- ic staff and was given her own lab at Row- Systems Biology at Harvard University, the George Ledlie Prize. tum information in light-form and in not land; eight years later she was appointed as its Packard Fellowship for Science and “I am very honored to receive the prize. just one but two atom-forms, offers great a tenured member of the Harvard faculty. Engineering. The $875,000 fellowship It is really wonderful to receive this kind of encouragement to those who hope to de- Hau’s current research space, easily rec- will be paid over five years beginning in recognition from your home institution,” velop quantum computers,” said Jeremy ognizable by the ‘Day-Glo’ orange and yel- November. As one of 20 Packard Fellows said Hau. Bloxham, dean of science in the Faculty of low colored walls, is located in the Cruft selected, Sabeti will be invited to an an- The physicist’s fascination with the na- Arts and Sciences. and Lyman Laboratories of SEAS and the nual conference in September 2009 to ture of light resulted in several break- “Lene’s work is path-breaking,” added Physics Department. meet with other fellows, as well as with throughs during the past decade. In 1999, Harvard’s Provost Steven E. Hyman. “Her “The experiments we do require an in- the advisory panel and members of the Hau slowed light down to 38 mph, or about research blurs the boundaries between tense focus and often run late into the foundation’s board of trustees. the speed of a racing bicycle, by shooting a basic and applied science, draws on the tal- night,” said Hau. “They require teamwork, laser beam through incredibly cold atoms. ent and people of two Schools and several and it has been a great experience to work — Compiled by Andrew Brooks Two years later she one-upped her own departments,and provides a literally glow- (See Ledlie, next page) 4 / Harvard University Gazette September 25-October 1, 2008

Ledlie Is it APPOINTMENT (Continued from previous page) ticklish? Mooney, Howe named with [the] bright and dedicated young Junseo Kang, 3, associate deans at SEAS looks on as father people — students and postdocs — we Frans Spaepen, interim dean at Har- Jaewook Kang have here at Harvard. … They keep you on vard’s School of Engineering and Ap- your toes!” points out a speci- men in the Hall of plied Sciences (SEAS) and John C. and The Ledlie Prize is awarded no more Helen F. Franklin Professor of Applied than once every two years to someone af- Mammals at the Harvard Museum of Physics, recently appointed bioengi- filiated with the University who “since Natural History on neers David Mooney and Rob Howe as the last awarding of said prize has by re- ‘Community Day at associate deans in SEAS. search, discovery or otherwise made the the Museums,’ The Gordon McKay Professor of Bio- most valuable contribution to science, or when University engineering, Mooney will serve as the in any way for the benefit of mankind.” museums open associate dean for applied their doors free chemical/biological sciences and engi- of charge to the Read ‘Light and matter united,’ neering, and Howe, who is the Gordon public. www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2007/ McKay Professor of Engineering, will 02.08/99-hau.html serve as associate dean for academic programs. As associate dean for applied Robert B. Woodward, the Morris Loeb chemical/biological sciences and engi- Professor of Chemistry, was the first re- neering, Mooney will help to manage cipient in 1955. Other winners have in- academic and course planning and fac- cluded Judah Folkman, the Julia Dyck- ulty and staff searches; handle promo- man Andrus Professor of Pediatric tion reviews for faculty appointments; Surgery; Douglas Melton, the Thomas and represent SEAS to the Faculty of Dudley Cabot Professor of the Natural Arts and Sciences committee on ap- Sciences; Gerald Gabrielse, the George pointments and promotion. Howe will Vasmer Leverett Professor of Physics; help coordinate educational policy and and most recently, in 2006, Lakshmi- cross-School programs and teaching; narayanan Mahadevan, Lola England de and oversee lecturer and visiting schol- Valpine Professor of Applied Mathemat- ar appointments, executive education, ics at SEAS. Julie Russell/Office of Community Affairs and international programs. — Andrew Brooks NIH IN BRIEF

(Continued from previous page) vestigate how synaptic connectivity trans- vant things about the underlying biology of CfA to host focus group lates to network function, helping to unrav- prion formation.” its Pioneer Award will be on developing new el the design principles of the brain. These on aesthetics and astronomy nanoscale electrophysiology tools for mea- tools will also allow cell network-based di- Faculty members receiving New In- The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for surement of electrical and biochemical sig- agnostics of neurodegenerative diseases. novator Awards are: Astrophysics (CfA) is sponsoring a focus group survey on Dec. 3 at naling in brain tissue and cultured neural IAravinthan D.T. Samuel, associate pro- IWilliam M. Shih, an assistant professor networks. These nanoelectronic tools could fessor of physics in the Faculty of Arts and of biological chemistry and molecular phar- Phillips Auditorium, 60 Garden St., to help in understanding the behavior of cel- Sciences, will develop new biophysical and macology at Harvard Medical School and gather information on how NASA scien- lular networks. Lieber also aims to develop imaging techniques to understand the neur- the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is work- tists create astronomical imagery. CfA sophisticated cell/tissue interfaces for pros- al basis of behavior in fruit fly, or Drosophi- ing to develop tools for atomic-resolution experts will be on hand for the 3 p.m. thetics and other medical devices, and to la, larvae. The project reflects Samuel’s imaging of membrane proteins to enable talk and discussion. Astronomy enthu- create two- and three-dimensional func- longstanding interest in the molecular and structure-based drug design. siasts are invited to register for the survey, which will last approximately 15 tional biomaterials capable of processing cellular underpinnings of purposeful be- I Amy J. Wagers, an assistant professor electronic and biochemical signals. havior, dating back to his studies as a Har- of stem cell and regenerative biology in the minutes, at http://astroart.cfa.har- vard.edu/focus/. Food, drinks, and I Tom Maniatis, the Jeremy R. Knowles vard undergraduate and graduate student — cross-School Department of Stem Cell and Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biolo- with biophysicist Howard C. Berg — of how Regenerative Biology and an assistant pro- souvenirs will be provided for all partic- gy in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, stud- E. coli detects and swims toward food. fessor of pathology at Harvard Medical ipants. For more information, visit ies the basic mechanisms of gene regulation Samuel’s own lab studies the neural basis of School and the Joslin Diabetes Center, will http://astroart.cfa.harvard.edu/. in the brain. His Pioneer Award will support navigational behaviors in the nematode study the mechanisms by which aging im- research using stem cells in conjunction Caenorhabditis elegans. With a brain con- pairs blood cell function and develop strate- CHGE releases new with the tools of molecular and cellular bi- taining some 3,000 neurons, the fruit fly gies to prevent or reverse these age-ac- ‘Healthy Harvest’ guide ology to examine the genesis of Lou Gehrig’s represents a big step up in complexity. quired defects. The Harvard Medical School’s Cen- disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral Samuel and his colleagues will examine lar- I Sean M. Wu, an instructor in medicine ter for Health and the Global Environ- sclerosis (ALS). Little is known about the val behavior using a biophysical approach, at Harvard Medical School and Massachu- ment (CHGE) recently published causes of this neurodegenerative disease building new microscopes to noninvasively setts General Hospital, will employ mecha- “Healthy Harvest: Regional Food that affects motor neurons. New techniques measure neural activity in large numbers of nisms of embryonic development to engi- Guides for New England and Mid-At- make it possible to use ordinary skin cells neurons of freely moving larvae as they ex- neer functional tissues for organ regenera- lantic States.” These comprehensive from patients to generate stem cells that ecute their normal behaviors. tion using pluripotent stem cells from dif- guides (available at www.healthyhar- can, in turn, give rise to motor neurons. Ma- I Ann Hochschild, a professor of micro- ferent species. vest.org) include detailed information niatis and colleagues plan to study patient- biology and molecular genetics at Harvard I Samara Reck-Peterson, an assistant about when produce is available re- derived motor neurons in cultures to gain Medical School, will use bacterial systems to professor of cell biology at Harvard Medical gionally both fresh and from storage, insights into the origins of ALS, which may study infectious particles called prions, School, has been awarded an NIH New Inno- as well as food-specific information on lead to the development of new drugs to which are behind some of the worst neu- vator Award to get under the hood of molec- varieties, nutritional content, how best treat this incurable disease. rodegenerative diseases, including bovine ular motors inside cells and to discover how to prepare each food item, and tips on I Hongkun Park, professor of chem- spongiform encephalopathy, known as they perform some of their most basic func- how to store the produce. The Healthy istry and of physics in the Faculty of Arts and “mad cow disease,” and its human equiva- tions. Cells are hardly the viscous blobs of Harvest site also includes a growing Sciences, will develop new nano- and mi- lent, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The ail- protoplasm we often imagine they are. If any- collection of recipes from some of the croelectronic tools to study the design prin- ments are caused when the prion protein thing, they’re more akin to micro-scaled in- nation’s top sustainable cuisine chefs ciples of the brain. Neuronal networks — goes awry, initiating the formation of self- dustrial factories jam-packed with workers and makes a strong case, both for collections of neurons interconnected by propagating aggregates within the brain, and machines, operating with mind-boggling one’s health and for the environment, synaptic junctions — form the physical and causing a fatal collapse of neurological efficiency. Central to these processes are about the importance of eating local basis of our brains. Over the years, neuro- capabilities. Hochschild will look for prions molecular machines, tiny motors that do food in season. scientists have learned a lot about individ- in bacteria, using an E. coli-based genetic de- much of the cell’s heavy lifting. For printed copies of the guide, e- ual neurons and have studied whole brains tection system. Since bacterial systems rep- Reck-Peterson will use the fungus As- mail the center at using MRI and other imaging techniques. resent cellular life stripped down to the es- pergillus as a model organism and focus on [email protected] or submit a re- However, the relationship between connec- sentials, E. coli would provide a perfect two motors called dynein and kinesin, so im- quest on www.healthyharvest.org. Addi- tivity among multitudes of neurons and model for studying prion proteins at their portant that “We would die without them,” tionally, for a list of upcoming events brain function is poorly understood. Park most basic level, Hochschild said. “For un- according to Reck-Peterson. “But there is still and appearances sponsored by CHGE, will develop tools that can perturb and derstanding disease, it’s important to un- so much we don’t know about them. How do including an Oct. 3 talk at the Museum record each and every neuron in a slice of derstand the fundamental biology of the they move? How do they find the right cargo? of Science, visit http://chge.med.har- functioning brain simultaneously, in real system. If prion proteins are found in bac- How do they carry it? How do they get to vard.edu. time. These tools will enable scientists to in- teria, we will undoubtedly learn many rele- where they need to go?” — Compiled by Andrew Brooks