Copyright Ó 2011 by the Genetics Society of America DOI: 10.1534/genetics.111.127860 The 2011 GSA Honors and Awards The Genetics Society of America annually honors members who have made outstanding contributions to genetics. The Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal recognizes a lifetime contribution to the science of genetics. The Genetics Society of America Medal recognizes particularly outstanding contributions to the science of genetics over the past 30 years. The George W. Beadle Medal recognizes distinguished service to the field of genetics and the community of geneticists. The Elizabeth W. Jones Award for Excellence in Education recognizes individuals or groups who have had a significant, sustained impact on genetics education at any level, from kindergarten through graduate school and beyond. The Novitski Prize recognizes an extraordinary level of creativity and intellectual ingenuity in solving significant problems in biological research through the application of genetic methods. We are pleased to announce the 2011 awards.

The 2011 Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal

James Haber

James Haber

N recognition of his lifetime contributions to the field synchrony (Haber and Halvorson 1972). This theme I of genetics, James Haber is the 2011 recipient of the of using synchronous cultures to follow molecular Thomas Hunt Morgan medal awarded by the Genetics events is echoed in his later work on double-strand Society of America (GSA). Using budding yeast as break repair. Isamu Takano, while a visiting scientist in a model system throughout his career, Jim has been Halvorson’s lab, introduced Jim to the genetic puzzle a major contributor to our understanding of the of homothallic (HO) mating-type switching in yeast, processing and repair of double-strand breaks in DNA. a puzzle that still occupies his time. In 1972, Jim joined Double-strand break repair plays an essential role in the faculty of the Biology Department at Brandeis ensuring genomic stability, and defects in these processes University. are implicated in cancer and aging. In addition to his In a Perspectives article published in Genetics pioneering work, Jim is honored for his contributions to (Haber 2006), Jim credits his teaching obligations at the mentorship and training of young scientists, his Brandeis, which compelled him to go beyond his collaborations and interactions with others in the field, specialty, for his development as a geneticist. Jim had and for his service to the genetics community. never taken a traditional genetics course (he did take Like many outstanding geneticists, Jim began his the Yeast Genetics course taught by Gerry Fink and Fred scientific career in a different field. Jim started as Sherman in its first year at Cold Spring Harbor a graduate student at the University of California at Laboratory) but learned genetics through teaching Berkeley with Dan Koshland in the Biochemistry De- Introductory Genetics to undergraduate students. His partment, studying the cooperative binding of oxygen work in the early 1980s focused on breakage of dicentric to hemoglobin. It was in his postdoctoral work with chromosomes and chromosome loss (including the Harlyn Halvorson at the University of Wisconsin, and isolation of the first chromosome loss mutant chl1) later at Brandeis University, where he was introduced to (McCusker and Haber 1981; Haber and Thorburn the discipline of genetics and the organism on which he 1984; Haber et al. 1984). Jim credits this work as a direct would focus his career, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. result of his teaching of the classical genetic experi- Jim’s first article with Halvorson concerned monitoring ments of Barbara McClintock and Lillian Morgan in cell cycle events in yeast undergoing sporulation in maize and Drosophila. Jim would later meet Barbara

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McClintock and proudly displays in his home the problems to the field, establish the relevance of multicolored corn cobs she gave to him. discoveries in yeast to other organisms, and illuminate Jim hit his stride in the 1980s by pioneering the principles and mechanisms that are universal. In physical monitoring of recombination reactions in vivo, addition to his published work, Jim is always an using synchronous meiotic cultures and Southern enthusiastic participant at scientific conferences, both hybridization; he would later extend this to the process during the formal proceedings and in the informal of gene conversion during HO-induced mating-type discussions that follow. switching in mitotic cultures. In an approach that he Jim’s approach toward problem solving is highly calls ‘‘in vivo biochemistry,’’ Jim adopted newly emerging collaborative, and he has often been the catalyst for molecular biological techniques (learned from Brandeis such interactions. Of particular note is Jim’s long- colleagues Michael Rosbash and Pieter Wensink) and standing collaboration with Marco Foiani (with whom applied them to classical genetic questions. Using this he has 10 publications) at the University of Milan to approach, Jim defined distinct steps during the process- study the checkpoint response to DNA damage. Their ing of double-strand breaks and identified the genetic collaboration began at a Keystone DNA Replication and factors that influence them. Long after the mechanism of Recombination conference that they both attended, mating-type switching was largely determined, Jim con- where Jim sought out Marco, introduced himself, and tinues to mine the system to investigate a myriad of events proceeded to set up daily breakfast discussions at the related to break processing, including resection of DNA guest house in which they were staying. Jim is particu- ends; processing of annealed ends; recombination pro- larly proud of his co-authored article with Doug Kosh- tein recruitment; recombination site preference; new land, at the University of California at Berkeley, the son telomere addition; break-induced replication; nonhomol- of his graduate mentor. ogous end-joining; mutagenesis associated with break One legacy of great scientists is the people whom they repair and establishment; and maintenance and recovery train and recruit into the field. In the field of re- from a cell cycle checkpoint response. Jim loves a puzzle combination and repair, I know of no one with better and often strays into additional fields where genetics leads credentials in this respect than Jim. The enjoyment that him. At last count, Jim has published 228 articles. he takes in his work is clearly transmitted to his students Jim is a superb colleague. Since I joined the Brandeis and postdoctoral fellows. Monica Colaiacovo, a former faculty in 1989, Jim’s and my labs have participated in graduate student of Jim’s and now an Associate Pro- a weekly ‘‘Recombination Club’’—a journal club in fessor at Harvard Medical School who studies meiosis in which we keep up to date with current literature, but Caenorhabditis elegans, wrote me, ‘‘One of the main also delve into old papers with a fresh eye. I cannot things that positively impacted me during my experi- imagine what my perspective in the field would be ence as a graduate student in Jim’s lab was the incredible without our frequent discussions. Although the focus of enthusiasm he has for science. He was always excited to my work is on bacterial DNA repair, this interaction hear about your results, always engaged in discussion allows me ‘‘to speak yeast as a second language’’ and during group meetings and our journal clubs, and he keeps me apprised of developments and questions was always discussing models and ideas (from breakfast concerning repair in eukaryotic cells. Jim mentored through beer hour at the end of the day) during me through my first teaching experiences, the estab- scientific conferences.’’ Throughout the 20 plus years lishment of a research lab, and the negotiation of family I have known him, I have observed the ways in which Jim and scientific life while weathering the ups and downs of donates his time generously to all, from postdoctoral a research career. Jim has never shirked the responsibil- fellows to undergraduates in the lab. Jim is quite proud ities of university life: he is the current Director of the and supportive of his scientific offspring, both person- Rosenstiel Basic Medical Science Research Center and ally and professionally. continues to teach a semester course on genetics each Jim continues to serve the scientific community year to undergraduates or graduate students. Jim has through work outside the university. He has organized always been supportive and protective of new faculty, and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental I attribute the collegial and high-functioning character of Biology (FASEB) conferences on ‘‘Genetic Recombina- the Biology Department at Brandeis to his leadership. tion and Chromosomal Rearrangements’’ and on ‘‘Yeast Jim has also taken an outward-looking perspective. He Chromosome Structure and Segregation.’’He has served thinks deeply about phenomena outside of yeast, from on the editorial boards of Molecular and Cell Biology, bacteria to humans. He has written an extraordinary Molecular Cell, PLoS Biology, PLoS Genetics,andDNA Repair. number of thoughtful reviews and commentary. Jim He participates in the Coalition of Life Sciences policy and I often vet each other’s manuscripts and grants, committee and the Congressional Biomedical Research and I am continually astounded by the magnitude of Caucus and has sat on the National Cancer Institute his contributions: for example, in the 5-year period Board of Scientific Counselors. For the Genetics Society from 1997 to 2001 he published 14 review articles! In of America, he has served on its Board of Directors and this way, Jim has been able to communicate important as GSA Secretary. Jim was elected as a Fellow in the Honors and Awards 989

American Association for the Advancement of Science in Haber,J.E.,andH.O.Halvorson, 1972 Cell cycle dependency of spor- 2005, to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in ulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J. Bacteriol. 109: 1027–1033. Haber, J. E., and P. C. Thorburn, 1984 Healing of broken linear 2009, and to the National Academy of Science in 2010. dicentric chromosomes in yeast. Genetics 106: 207–226. Jim’s productivity has not waned and he has no plans Haber, J. E., P. C. Thorburn and D. Rogers, 1984 Meiotic and mi- to retire, so, despite this award for ‘‘lifetime contribu- totic behavior of dicentric chromosomes in Saccharomyces cerevi- siae. Genetics 106: 185–205. tions,’’ we anticipate more to come. McCusker,J.H.,andJ.E.Haber, 1981 Evidence of chromo- somal breaks near the mating-type locus of Saccharomyces cerevi- siae that accompany MATa 3 MATa matings. Genetics 99: LITERATURE CITED 383–403. Haber, J. E., 2006 Chromosome breakage and repair. Genetics 173: 1181–1185. Susan T. Lovett