Can Urban Universities Be Better Neighbors? Proteinases and Their Inhibitors
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Vol. 20 / No. 2 / February 2021 Can urban universities be better neighbors? Proteinases and their inhibitors Feb. 24–26 This meeting covers diverse and vibrant fields of protease research, such as mechanistic studies on proteases in their molecular, cellular and organismic context. Sessions include: • proteolysis in cancer • proteolysis in neurosignaling and neurodegeneration • proteolysis in blood coagulation • discovery of protease substrates • mechanisms and engineering of proteases, ligases, their substrates and inhibitors Regular registration deadline: Feb. 22 Learn more and register at: asbmb.org/meetings-events/proteinases-and-their-inhibitors CONTENTS NEWS FEATURES PERSPECTIVES 2 28 46 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE CAN URBAN UNIVERSITIES #BLACKINX TWITTER MOVEMENT Miller named ASBMB executive director BE BETTER NEIGHBORS? CREATES VISIBILITY 3 FOR BLACK SCIENTISTS MEMBER UPDATE 38 SECURING SPACE FOR 48 THE EVOLUTION OF PROTEINS BLACK WOMEN SCIENTISTS FROM MYSTERIES TO MEDICINES 10 IN A CROOKED ROOM IN MEMORIAM 50 11 41 LEARNING TO BE NEWS ‘EVERY EXPERIMENT AND EVERY A SCIENCE SUPERHERO 11 Establishing connections — BREAKTHROUGH MATTERS’ from people to synapses 54 12 10 young scientists win ESSAY PROLAB awards Project SHORT shares know-how 15 Sewer scholarship program funding doubled 18 Increasing diversity to improve 55 health care — for all of us FIVE QUESTIONS Douglas Storts: Giving labs the tools 20 to be successful JOURNAL NEWS 20 The vaccine race heats up 21 Vision health depends on fat 22 A mold’s dangerous responses to its environment 23 From the journals 28 46 15 38 50 FEBRUARY 2021 ASBMB TODAY 1 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Vol. 20 / No. 2 / February 2021 THE MEMBER MAGAZINE OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY Miller named ASBMB THE MEMBEROFFICERS MAGAZINE OFCOUNCIL THE AMERICAN MEMBERS SOCIETY FOR BIOCHEMISTRY ANDSuzanne MOLECULAR Barbour BIOLOGY Toni M. Antalis President Joan Broderick executive director Charles Craik GeraldOFFICERS Hart COUNCIL MEMBERS Matt Gentry PastGerald President Hart Squire J. Booker Susanna Greer President Victoria J. DeRose By Toni Antalis Wei Yang AudreyBlake Lamb Hill Secretary Jennifer DuBois JamesAudrey M. Ntambi Lamb Secretary n behalf of the American Joan Conaway TakitaJames Felder M. Ntambi Sumter Celia A. Shiffer Society for Biochemistry and Toni TreasurerM. Antalis Kelly Ten–Hagen Treasurer Takita Felder Sumter OMolecular Biology Council, I Kelly Ten-Hagen EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS ASBMBJoAnn TODAY Trejo EDITORIAL am pleased to announce that Stephen EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS Robert S. Haltiwanger ADVISORY BOARD Miller, deputy executive director and Rajini Rao RobertCarla S. Haltiwanger Koehler ASBMB TODAY EDITORIAL chief financial officer of the ASBMB, Co-chairs, 2020/2021Carla Annual Koehler ChairADVISORY BOARD Co-chairs, 2020 Annual Meeting Program Committee AnaRajini Maria Rao Barral will be appointed to the position of Meeting Program Committee Cheryl Bailey NatashaChair Brooks executive director upon the retire- Chair, Education andCheryl Professional Bailey KellyFloyd Chacón “Ski” Chilton ment of the current executive director, DevelopmentChair, Education Committee and BerondaHenrik Montgomery Dohlman Professional Development Daniel Raben BillPeter Sullivan J. Kennelly Barbara Gordon. Committee Chair, Meetings Committee MelissaBeronda Vaught Montgomery Steve joined the society in July Daniel Raben A. Maureen Rouhi Sonia Flores Binks Wattenberg 2004 as the financial controller. Dur- STEPHEN MILLER Chair,Chair, Meetings Minority Committee Affairs Melissa Vaught CommitteeSonia Flores ASBMBBinks TODAY W. Wattenberg ing the succeeding years of his service Chair,Nicole Minority Woitowich Affairs Angela Hopp to the ASBMB, he held the positions leadership and move to open access. Chair, Science OutreachCommittee and ASBMB TODAY Executive Editor of director of finance and then chief In his new capacity as executive CommunicationSusannna Committee Greer Angela Hopp [email protected] Editor Chair,Terri Public Goss KinzyOutreach financial officer. He has become director, Steve will be shepherding the [email protected] Chair, PublicCommittee Affairs Comfort Dorn ManagingComfort Editor Dorn more involved in the journals and transition to open access for the AdvisoryMatthew Committee S. Gentry [email protected] Editor society operations as deputy executive ASBMB journals, developing a strate- Chair,Ed EisensteinPublic Affairs [email protected] Chair, MembershipAdvisory Committee Committee Laurel Oldach director. gic plan to guide the society through ScienceJohn Writter Arnst Sandra Weller Susan Baserga [email protected] Writer The ASBMB Council began the the next several years, and expanding Chair, WomenChair, in Biochemistry Publications [email protected] process of identifying a new executive the opportunities and benefits the and MolecularCommittee Biology Ed LaurelMarklin Oldach Committee WebScience Editor Writter director upon the announcement of society provides for its members. Lila M. Gierasch [email protected] Editor-in-chief,Sandra Weller JBC [email protected] Barbara’s retirement. With the major We warmly thank Barbara for her Chair, Publications Ed Marklin A. L. Burlingame Allison Frick Committee MultimediaWeb Editor and Social Media move of our journals to open access, many years of service and for her Editor, MCP [email protected] Lila M. Gierasch Content Manager as well as other anticipated op- long-lasting legacy in bringing the so- Nicholas O. Davidson Editor-in-chief, JBC [email protected] Frick Editor-in-chief, JLR Media Specialist erational enhancements, the council ciety to where it is today. We are also Barbara Gordon A. L. Burlingame [email protected] Kerry-AnneEditor, MCP Rye Executive Director considered continuity and experience deeply thankful for the commitment Editor-in-chief, JLR [email protected] Gordon Nicholas O. Davidson Executive Director with society operations to be critically and dedication of all of the ASBMB Editor-in-chief, JLR [email protected] important during this transition pe- staff during this time of transition as Kerry-Anne Rye riod. Based on Steve’s deep knowledge we open an exciting new chapter for Editor-in-chief, JLR of and commitment to the society, the the society. ForFor information information on on advertising, advertising, contact contact Pharmaceutical Pharmaceutical council made the decision to ask him Media Inc. at 212-904-0374 or [email protected]@pminy.com.. to take on the role of executive direc- Toni Antalis Toni Antalis tor, and we are delighted that he has ([email protected]) agreed to serve in this position for the is a professor of physiology next several years. at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where she In early 2023, the ASBMB Coun- www.asbmb.org/asbmbtoday is also the associate director www.asbmb.org/asbmbtoday cil plans to initiate a wide-ranging for training and education PRINT ISSNISSN 2372-0409 2372-0409 search for the next, longer-term for the Greenebaum Cancer Center and the director of the ArticlesArticles published published in ASBMB in ASBMB Today Today reflect reflect solely solely the authors’the authors’ views viewsand not executive director. This plan will allow theand official not the official positions positionsof the American of the SocietyAmerican for BiochemistrySociety for Biochemistry and Molecular and graduate program in molecular BiologyMolecular or Biologythe institutions or the institutions with which with the authorswhich the are authors affiliated. are affiliated. Mentions of for an orderly transition of the society medicine. productsMentions or of services products are or not services endorsements. are not endorsements. 2 ASBMB TODAY FEBRUARY 2021 MEMBER UPDATE Steitz receives and the American Academy of and international relations. Alrubaye, Microbiology and a member of the who teaches microbiology, animal Microbiology Society prize National Academy of Sciences and the bacteriology and prokaryote biology Joan Steitz, the Sterling professor National Academy of Medicine, Steitz to about 900 students annually and of molecular biophysics and biochem- has received many honors, including who recently was inducted into the istry at Yale University and a Howard the Lasker–Koshland Special Achieve- university’s teach- Hughes Medical Institute investigator, ment Award in Medical Science, ing academy, won will receive the 2021 prize medal from the National Medal of Science, the the faculty award. the United Kingdom’s Microbiology American Society for Cell Biology’s Alrubaye earned Society. E.B. Wilson Medal and the American bachelor’s and “Britain and British science Society for Biochemistry and Mo- master’s degrees have occupied a special spot in my lecular Biology’s 2015 Herb Tabor from the University heart ever since I was a postdoc- Research Award. of Baghdad in the toral researcher at the Laboratory for Steitz will receive her award and ALRUBAYE early 2000s. He Molecular Biology in Cambridge in present a lecture at the Microbiology went on to earn 1967–70,” Steitz told the Microbiol- Society’s annual conference in April, his master’s in secondary education ogy Society. “So much of my subse- which will be held online. and his Ph.D. in cell and molecular quent life and science were shaped biology at the University of Arkansas by my experiences Alrubaye wins award for Fayetteville campus, where he also there.” international education completed a postdoctoral stint. Steitz is known He has won numerous teaching for her studies