Developmental Biologist Ernest Everett Just
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Don’t Forget: AnnuAl Meeting Housing Deadline is MArcH 19 February 2010 Developmental Biologist Ernest Everett Just American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2010 ASBMB Annual Meeting Get Ready to Meet in California! Anaheim Awaits DEADLINES APPROACHING Early Registration: February 24, 2010 April 24–28, 2010 Late Breaking Abstracts: February 24, 2010 www.asbmb.org/meeting2010 SPECIAL EVENTS ASBMB 5K Fun Run, early registration required Minority Scientists Welcome Reception How to Publish in the JBC Workshop Opening Reception and Dance AnaheimDecember09.indd 1 12/17/2009 11:13:22 AM contents FebruarY 2010 On the cover: Ernest Everett Just made seminal contributions to society news the study of fertilization 2 Letters to the Editor and early development in marine mammals. 22 4 President’s Message Photo credit: the Marine Biological laBoratory archives. 7 Washington Update 8 News from the Hill 11 Retrospective: A retrospective on Edwin G. Krebs (1918-2009) Edwin G. Krebs. 11 16 Member Spotlight 18 54 ASBMB Members Elected AAAS Fellows 2010 annual meeting 19 Aebersold Receives Sober Lectureship 20 Tesmer Wins ASBMB Young Investigator Award 21 Herschlag Named Rose Award Recipient ASBMB Member feature stories Heart Research. 26 22 Ernest Everett Just: Experimental Biologist Par Excellence 26 Heart Matters in every issue 30 Education 31 Meetings 32 BioBits 34 Career Insights 36 Lipid News podcast summary This month’s ASBMB podcast features Journal of Biological Chemistry Paper of the Week author Jason Fish discussing a unique transcriptional control mechanism for endothelial nitric oxide synthase in hypoxia. To hear this and other podcasts, go to www.asbmb.org/Interactive.aspx. February 2010 ASBMB Today 1 letters to the editor a monthly publication of the american society for generally ignored question of the social Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Letter for irresponsibility of illegal drug users. Officers Not all changes, however passionately Gregory A. Petsko President “advice and Suzanne R. Pfeffer President-Elect advocated, merit support. Mark A. Lemmon Secretary Dissent” Merle S. Olson Treasurer John M. Brewer Professor of biochemistry Council Members and molecular biology Dafna Bar-Sagi Ruma V. Banerjee Dear Greg, Benjamin F. Cravatt Joan A. Steitz Your editorial in ASBMB Today University of Georgia Thomas E. Smith Ann M. Stock (December 2009) struck me as being a James A. Wells Adrian Whitty bit confused. Your denunciation of the Ex-Officio Members British politician for not following the Ellis Bell Letter for chair, education and Professional recommendation of a scientist to effec- development committee Joan W. Conaway tively reduce penalties on marijuana use edu cation Issue chair, Meetings committee shows a lack of understanding of the John D. Scott chair, Membership committee functions of the panel of experts and the Dear Dr. Petsko, Craig E. Cameron politicians. The former are charged with Two articles that appeared in the Octo- chair, Minority affairs committee Laurie S. Kaguni giving their opinions on the best course ber issue (“A Teachable Moment” and 2010 annual Meeting Program coordinator their government should take, while the “Student-Centered Education in Molecu- William C. Merrick chair, Public affairs advisory committee latter are charged with setting policy. lar Life Sciences”) have been very good Toni M. Antalis motivation to share some observations. I chair, Publications committee Opinions, whether scientific or not, will Herbert Tabor probably be influenced by the biases, was very fortunate to be a participant at editor, JBC or call them the values, of the experts, the American Society for Biochemistry Ralph A. Bradshaw A. L. Burlingame and, like all scientific evidence, are and Molecular Biology-sponsored confer- co-editors, MCP inherently incomplete. Policies reflect ence at Colorado College last August, Edward A. Dennis Joseph L. Witztum many things, values (social, religious, centered on improving education in the co-editors, JLR economic, etc.) above all, but also fears molecular life sciences. As described in ASBMB Today Editorial Advisory Board as to the results of following the panel’s Neena Grover’s and Marilee Benore Par- Alex Toker chair recommendations. Politicians are, after sons’ article, the meeting was incredibly Greg P. Bertenshaw Craig E. Cameron all, elected to set policies and to be held informative and stimulating. Spanning A. Stephen Dahms Irwin Fridovich three days, there was ample time to have Jonathan Gitlin Richard W. Hanson responsible for their consequences. If Elizabeth A. Komives Bettie Sue Masters the consequences are bad, no one will insightful discussions with those who Luke A. O’Neill Duanqing Pei have been at the forefront of the drive Carol C. Shoulders Robert D. Wells remember the panels or who was on to transform our lecture and laboratory ASBMB Today them, only the politician(s). courses. It was also highly beneficial that Nicole Kresge Editor I think you are right, however, that [email protected] legalization (“decriminalization”) of pot there were faculty from both smaller, Nick Zagorski Science Writer primary undergraduate institutions as well [email protected] is indeed a flashpoint dividing liberals Nancy J. Rodnan Director of Publications from conservatives. Liberals tend to as larger research universities, both types [email protected] stress all the good things they believe of schools having their own special cir- Barbara Gordon Executive Director will ensue from some proposed change, cumstances that affect the ways in which [email protected] while conservatives tend to think of all we implement our curricula. Magazine design & production: Amy Phifer the bad things that might result. As a As a result of conversations with J. For information on advertising, contact card-carrying conservative myself (the Ellis Bell, Joseph Provost and Neena capitol Media solutions at 800-517-0610 or [email protected] deuce or trey of clubs, probably), I tend Grover spanning five years, numerous to stress the latter. articles in Biochemistry and Molecular To me, there are too many questions Biology Education and the Journal of involving effects of higher dosages Chemical Education, as well as several www.asbmb.org of active ingredient, especially upon publications by the National Research the young, and control over suppliers Council, I had been formulating a to feel assured of the overall benefits transformation plan for our department’s of such a course. Then too, there is a upper-division biochemistry laboratory 2 ASBMB Today February 2010 letters to the editor course from a primarily methods-and- relevant data analysis. The project would transforming their courses, I reiterate techniques format into a inquiry-based culminate in brief oral presentations by Neena’s advice: Make small, incremental “gene-to-protein” experience. Making each group. The data collected in the changes in your courses first (a sugges- such a sweeping change can be a very fall semester would be passed on to the tion also made by Jennifer Loertscher daunting task, especially when trying students in the spring classes, serving as in the December 2009 ASBMB Today to overcome the inertia of more con- a new starting point. concerning implementation of POGIL servative departmental colleagues. In Two outcomes of this project are modules in pre-existing lecture courses), her closing talk, Neena fervently urged worth noting. First, several students diplomatically ignore those with an “if us to evaluate how we are teaching made excellent suggestions about it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” attitude, and, our courses and to make small, subtle further experimentation that could be finally, in honor of the BCS season, “Just changes and then evaluate the efficacy of conducted to tie up some loose ends, Do It!” You and your students will be those changes to enhance our students’ and they volunteered to do the work on very glad you did. educational experience. their own time (a rarity in my experi- Finally, ASBMB should be very With this advice resonating in my ence). Second, a young Hispanic student highly commended for taking a leader- brain, on the flight back to Tucson, Ariz., told me that since our department has ship role in not only advocating making I outlined two small projects I would a two-semester senior thesis require- substantive changes in the way we teach introduce to our laboratory course during ment for a B.S. in biochemistry, she had our undergraduates but also for its efforts the upcoming semester. One project was contemplated switching majors or opting to engage undergraduates in research designed to be an open-ended, inquiry- for the nonthesis B.A. throughout most and scientific investigation through the based assignment originating from inter- of the semester. However, as a result of auspices of the Undergraduate Affiliate esting results the students would encoun- the work she had done on tandem mass Network, the CΩL undergraduate honor ter in the early part of the semester. In spectrometry analysis of Escherichia coli society and encouragement of our highly the assignment, student groups would periplasmic proteins during “the special motivated and talented students to fully choose an experiment they would like project,” she had become very excited participate at the annual meetings. to conduct, do the appropriate literature about scientific research and was making James T. Hazzard research on methods we had not covered a concerted effort to get into a mass spec Senior