Newsletter University of Wisconsin-Madison
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NEWSLETTER UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON For friends of the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Table of Contents From the Chair .............................................................. 3 Department Alumnus: ................................................. 17 Biochemistry Phase II ................................................... 4 Honors and Awards...................................................... 18 Laurens Anderson at 90 ................................................. 5 Remembering Bob Burris ............................................ 20 New Faculty Profile ....................................................... 6 Gene Regulation .......................................................... 22 Biochemistry Scholars Program .................................... 8 Staff Departures ........................................................... 25 Where we are and are going .......................................... 9 Remembering Henry Lardy ........................................ 26 International programs .................................................... In Memoriam .............................................................. 27 Our Department in England ...................................... 10 Biochemistry Graduate Degrees .................................. 28 Our Department inUganda ....................................... 11 Biochemistry Advisor Graduate Degrees ..................... 29 Our Department in India ........................................... 12 From the Labs ............................................................. 30 Undergrad Program: UBSO ......................................... 13 Why File Images ......................................................... 49 Pre-pre PhD programs ..................................................... Contact Information ................................................... 50 Project CRYSTAL ....................................................... 14 Donors ........................................................................ 51 Micro Explorers ......................................................... 15 Two Steenbock Symposia to be hosted by the department in 2011 These symposia are in commemoration of Professor Harry Steenbock for his renowned work on Vitamin D and other wide-ranging contributions to biochemistry. The 34th Steenbock Symposium entitled: The 35th Steenbock Symposium entitled: The Metabolism of Lipids: Implications in Advances in Biomolecular NMR Human Diseases will be held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, May will be held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 22-25, 2011. This symposium is hosted by the Department of June 27-28, 2011 to honor the career of John L. Markley, Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is Steenbock Professor of Biomolecular Structure, Department organized by James Ntambi. of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Through The symposium will bring together leading scientists his service to the NMR community and leadership of to present and discuss their research on the roles of lipids the National Magnetic Resonance Facility at Madison in health and disease. Participants and speakers will reflect (NMRFAM), the Biological Magnetic Resonance Data Bank international excellence in this medically relevant area of (BMRB) and the Center for Eukaryotic Structural Genomics, science, and a balance between youth and wisdom. Professor Markley has made enormous contributions to the field of biomolecular NMR. Lectures will cover a broad range of topics, including: The Symposium will have presentations from leaders in • brain function • nuclear receptors the field of biological NMR spectroscopy and in various fields • adipokines • liver steatosis of biochemistry who collaborate on protein structure-function • lipokines • insulin signaling studies with Professor Markley and NMRFAM. Topics will • lipid droplets • atherosclerosis include applications of NMR spectroscopy to study the • lipolysis • inflammation dynamics and structure-function relationships of proteins • adipocyte differentiation and nucleic acids, high-throughput structure determination, The approaches are very broad, using genomics, metabolomics, and natural products. A poster session will proteomics, lipidomics and metabolomics in a wide variety of provide those attending the symposium an opportunity to in vitro and in vivo strategies. present their recent work in biological NMR spectroscopy. For more information on either symposia please go to: http://steenbock.biochem.wisc.edu From the Chair by Professor Betty Craig bring greetings from the Biochemistry Aaron Hoskins will join the department as an I Department. I hope you have had an enjoyable assistant professor this coming summer. Aaron’s and productive year. As I sit on the 4th floor of research program focuses on pre-mRNA splicing, the Biochemistry Addition writing this dispatch particularly the assembly of the splicesome and in mid-December, I can see that Lake Mendota splice-site recognition, particularly at the single has already frozen over. For those of you who molecule level. Aaron decided to stay on for have left Wisconsin, that thought should bring an additional year in his postdoc position at back memories! University of Massachusetts Medical School, The big news in the department: the new not only to take advantage of additional time building (a.k.a. Biochemistry Phase II) is to make progress on the research front, but to ALMOST done. We are on track for occupancy also plan his arrival to coincide with completion this coming fall. Having been in the planning of the new building, which will house not only for what seems like decades, you can imagine the his lab, but a specially designed room for single- level of excitement. Saying we look forward to molecule studies. Aaron received his PhD in the completion, is an understatement! See the update lab of Joanne Stubbe at MIT, whom many of you by Mike Cox on page 4. will remember from her days in our department. Sadly, as many of you know, we lost two Another search is in progress. Hopefully, when I giants of our department last year – Bob Burris write next year I will brings news of another new and Henry Lardy. Both were very active around Biochemistry faculty member. the department until quite recently. We will very I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter. much miss them both. Please see pages 20 and 26 Marv Wickens and colleagues have again worked for some remembrances. overtime to bring you up to date on people and But happily we welcome more “new blood” events in the department. Keep in mind that we into the department. Dave Pagliarini joined the would be pleased to hear from you anytime. Visit department in 2009. Learn more about Dave and us when you can to see for yourself what’s new in his research program on page 6. We also carried Biochemistry and to meet with old friends. out a successful search during the past year. Right: Construction on the Phase II Tower. (Photo © Joe Oliva) 3 Biochemistry Phase II Update by Professor Mike Cox he new building project, called Biochemistry stage in their career. The facility provides offices TPhase II, will be finished in November. for the Undergraduate Biochemistry Student It comes none too soon, and everyone will be Organization, program offices and support, and relieved to be rid of the dust and commotion. an undergraduate student lounge in a facility However, the wait is worth it. The new designed from the ground up to provide a home project features a research tower that will house base for Biochemistry students. ~18 research groups, a mini-conference facility, a massive new animal facility, and many different kinds of support facilities. The historic Biochemistry buildings on Henry Mall will also be brought back to life as a dedicated teaching facility. This will include new classrooms, teaching labs, student program offices, and Right: specialized computer labs for courses Northeast corner of aimed at database mining and the interface the south face of the between Biochemistry and Mathematics. 2011 tower at the Even the old Agricultural Journalism connection to the 1985 wing, with Ag building has been renovated and is now Journalism in the part of the Biochemistry complex. Joined lower left. at the hip with the new research tower, it features new faculty meeting rooms, Programs are evolving with the facilities. See the new Biochemistry Scholars Program as an example. Biochemistry appears to be the fastest growing major in the University, and we are trying to meet the challenge with facilities and initiatives. See the article on the Biochemistry Scholars Program, on page 8, to see how you can help. More information can be found on the departmental website at: www.biochem.wisc.edu/biochem_phase2/ You, too, can keep tabs on construction progress by visiting the construction webcam: www.biochem.wisc.edu/it/buildingstream.aspx The project is pretty much on schedule, and we look forward to a fall 2011 occupation. Above: shops, computational space, and a coffee South face of 2011 house! tower looking toward The new laboratories are important the 1998 addition with and will be occupied by faculty from Ag Journalism just visable on the left. both Biochemistry and the Biomolecular Chemistry Department. This follows a decades-long trend to consolidate Right: from Henry Mall - basic biological sciences around Henry Ag J bottom right, Mall. The new teaching facilities are 2011 Tower, 1912 especially welcome and reflect an building on left expanded