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 From
the Dean
The
academic year is now at its apogee,
with a packed schedule of classes,
seminars, meetings, special programs
and visits from job candidates.
The faculty searches in Chemistry
and Biochemistry, Cell Biology and
Molecular Genetics and the Center
for Bioinformatics and Computational
Biology are nearing completion,
and candidates for the Chair of
Biology will be visiting in April.
Many of the candidates who visited
this year were outstanding, and
we are hopeful that we will be able
to recruit several of them. Chemistry
and Biochemistry has already recruited
two new faculty members—Dr.
Daniel Kosov, a theoretical chemist
whose primary research interests
are in energy and charge transport
and chemical reactions in the condensed
phase and at interfaces, and Dr.
Barbara Gerratana, an enzymologist
whose research focuses on the biosynthesis
of antitumor antibiotics and NAD.
 The
external review committee for the
Department of Biology visited last
week and spent a day and a half
talking with virtually everyone
in the department, in groups or
individually. The members of the
committee are Professors Ronald
Hoy (Cornell University), William
Murdoch (University of California,
Santa Barbara), Barbara Schaal (Washington
University) and Marvalee Wake (University
of California, Berkeley). The visit
went very smoothly, and we are looking
forward to a written report by the
end of the semester. Thanks to everyone
who helped us to prepare for this
review, particularly Bill Jeffery,
Art Popper and the committee who
proposed the self-study report,
and Stephanie Noel in the Dean's
Office.
Last
week, approximately 160 high school
students and teachers participated
in the Junior Science and Humanities
Symposium, organized by the College
of Life Sciences and sponsored by
the Colleges of LFSC, CMPS and ENGR.
The program included  a
talk by Nobel Laureate William Phillips,
presentations of the top 40 student
papers, a science bowl and an awards
ceremony attended by Montgomery
County Executive Douglas Duncan.
This outreach event has the potential
to have a major impact on the lives
of the student participants and
is an important activity of our
College. Thanks to Amel Anderson,
Maggie Jenkins, Sheila Welsh from
the Office of Admissions and several
others who have worked to polish
the program.
The
proposals for enhancing our undergraduate
curriculum have been reviewed by
our HHMI advisory board, and we
are in the process of scheduling
meetings with the team leaders to
discuss how to proceed. Thanks to
everyone who participated in this
important process.
Many
congratulations to Assistant Professor
Hey-Kyoung Lee in the Department
of Biology, who became a Sloan Research
Fellow, received her first NIH grant
and gave birth to a son all within
a month! She is setting a very high
standard for the rest of us!
My
best wishes for an enjoyable spring
break and the successful completion
of another academic year.
March
21-28:
Spring Break
April
9:
Last Day to Drop with a "W"
May
11: Last
Day of Classes
May
20: Campus
Commencement. 7 p.m., Comcast Center.
More information: www.urhome.umd.edu/commencement/
May
21:
College of Life Sciences Commencement.
10 a.m., Cole Student Activities Building.
The speaker will be Dr. Claire Fraser,
President of the Institute for Genomic
Research.
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 Upcoming
Events
March
4: HHMI
Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Colony Ballroom, Stamp Student
Union, 4 to 6 p.m. 37 students
will present posters. LFSC contact:
Kaci Thompson (kaci@umd.edu)
March
5, 12: Spring Open
House, Undergraduate Admissions.
LFSC contact: Eden Garosi (egarosi@umd.edu)
April
2:
Spring Open House, Undergraduate
Admissions. LFSC contact: Eden
Garosi (egarosi@umd.edu)
April
3:
- For
gifts supporting JIFSAN: Bristol-Myers
Squibb Company ($5,000) and Gerber Products
Company ($5,000)
- Certis
USA, LLC for a $3,500 gift supporting
the Department of Entomology General Fund
- Cephalon,
Inc. for a $3,000 gift to the Department
of Chemistry-Biochemistry Fund
- Michael
A. Milan, for a $500 gift to the Dean's
Fund
- The
Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board,
for $9,636 to support the project "Effects
of Poncho Seed Treatment on Soil Insects,
Stand Density, Nontarget Organisms and
Yield of Corn" (PI: Dr. Galen Dively
and Dr. Terry Patton)
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Faculty
Recognition and In the News
 Dr.
George Bean,
CBMG, is quoted in a February 4 Washington
Post article
and a February 4 Baltimore Sun
article
about where ricin comes from and its
potential use as a terror weapon.
The
lab of Dr. Gerald Borgia, Biology,
had a paper accepted for publication
in Nature:
Coleman,
S., Patricelli, G. and
Borgia, G. Complex female
choice drives multifaceted male
displays. Nature (in press).
Dr.
James Dietz, Biology, and nine
CONS students (some now alumni) have
published a paper in Conservation
Biology. (Click here
for abstract.) It is the product of
the CONS 608 seminar that Dr. Dietz
ran last year, which featured interviews
with several leaders in the field
of conservation biology.
Dietz,
J. M., R. Aviram, S.
Bickford, K. Douthwaite,
A. Goodstine, J.-L. Izursa,
S. Kavanaugh, K. MacCarthy,
M. O'Herron and K. Parker.
2004. Defining leadership in conservation:
A view from the top. Conservation
Biology 18:274-278.
The
lab of Dr. Jonathan Dinman,
CBMG, published the following paper
in Nucleic Acids Research:
Plant,
E. P., Wang, P., Jacobs,
J. L., and Dinman, J. D.
A programmed -1 ribosomal frameshift
signal can function as a cis-acting
mRNA destabilizing element. Nucleic
Acids Res. 2004 Feb 3;32(2):784-90.
Dr.
William Fagan, Biology, has been
invited by the Student Section of
the Ecological Society of America
(ESA) as a "rising star in ecology"
to participate in a session on "How
to Succeed in Ecology: Advice from
Current and Aspiring Eminent Ecologists"
at the ESA's annual August meeting.
Dr.
Hey-Kyoung Lee, Biology, was named
a Sloan
Research Fellow. The award identifies
those with outstanding promise of
making contributions to new knowledge
in one of seven scientific fields:
chemistry, computational and evolutionary
molecular biology, computer science,
economics, mathematics, neuroscience
and physics. Sloan Fellows receive
a $40,000 stipend for unrestricted
use in research.
In
a recent article (the February
15 Oregonian, reprinted
in the February
22 Atlanta Journal-Constitution),
Dr. David Lineback, Director
of the Joint Institute for Food Safety
and Applied Nutrition, explains how
"mad cow" disease could
contaminate even carefully controlled
hamburger meat. Lineback addresses
the issue of prions, which are errant
proteins that nest in a cow's central
nervous system. In a February 25 Voice
of America transcript,
he discusses how to ascertain the
origins of infected meat.
Dr.
Margaret Palmer, Entomology and
Biology, received a 2-year, $35,000
grant from American Rivers for "River
Restoration in the United States."
Dr.
Arthur Popper, Biology, joined
international experts to discuss the
effects of noisy oceans on marine
life in a February 14 Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation "Quirks and Quarks"
broadcast.
 In
a March 1 Baltimore Magazine
article,
Dr. Michael Raupp, Entomology,
asks people to "try not to freak
out" about the onslaught of cicadas
that will arrive in the area in late
April or early May. "'We're expecting
that, in some locations, there may
be as many as 100,000 of these things
per acre. There are literally going
to be millions of cicadas here."
Dr.
Kerry Shaw and Dr. Patrick
Danley, Biology, received a 1-year,
$100,000 grant from NSF for "The
Development Genetics and Evolution
of Cricket Song."
 Dr.
Barbara Thorne, Entomology, has
been named the new director of the
University Honors Program. She will
transition into the role over the
spring semester, officially taking
over the reigns July 1. She will continue
her research on termites, which she
has studied for 26 years. For the
Outlook article, click here.
General
Research Board Awards
The
Office of Research and Graduate Studies
honored the following faculty members
by awarding them General Research
Board awards for the 2004-05 academic
year. These awards allow faculty members
to devote time to a research project,
either during a semester or the summer.
Winners
of the Semester Research Award are
Dr. Catherine Carr, Biology;
Dr. Sandra Greer, Chemistry
and Biochemistry; and Dr. Margaret
Palmer, Entomology and Biology.
Winners of the Summer Research Award
are Dr. Jeffrey DeStefano,
CBMG; Dr. June Kwak, CBMG;
and Dr. Hey-Kyoung Lee, Biology.
University
Senators for 2004-2005
The
following LFSC faculty members will
serve on the University Senate for
the 2004-2005 term, which begins in
May:
Dr.
George Bean, CBMG
Dr. Neil Blough, Chemistry
and Biochemistry
Dr. Amy Brown, Entomology
Dr. Marco Colombini, Biology
Dr. Janice Reutt-Robey, Chemistry
and Biochemistry
Dr. Heven Sze, CBMG
Dr. John Tossell, Chemistry
and Biochemistry
In
addition:
Dr.
Arthur Popper, Biology, was elected
Chair of the University Senate. His
1-year term begins in May.
Mr.
Gene Ferrick, Dean's Office, was
elected to the University Senate to
be an at-large representative for
the professional staff on the campus.
This will be his second term in the
Senate; he has also served on numerous
Senate committees.
Alumni
Recognition
Mr. Allan Himmelstein,
who received his bachelor's degree in
Zoology in 1971, was hired as the President
for Health Sciences Group's Quality
Botanical Ingredients division, located
in New Jersey. He has more than 30 years
of experience in the chemical, food
and nutritional supplement industries.
Click here
for the January 28 BioSpace.com article.
 Alumna
Gina Kolata, an Environmental
Editor for the New York Times
and an author, will be honored at the
Fifth Annual Alumni Association Awards
Gala April 17. Ms. Kolata, who earned
her bachelor's degree in Microbiology
in 1969, will receive the Distinguished
Alumnus Award from the College of Life
Sciences. Past recipients of this award,
given to those who have achieved recognition
for excellence in their profession or
field, include Franklyn Jenifer (PhD,
1970), president of the University of
Texas at Dallas, and Brian Farrell
(MS, 1985; PhD, 1991), Professor of
Biology, Harvard University.
 Dr.
Daphne Soares, a previous NACS Ph.D.
student of Dr. Catherine Carr
and a current postdoc working on the
evolution of brain development in cavefish
in the lab of Dr. William Jeffery,
is one of four recipients of the 2004
Young Investigators Award, an honor
bestowed by the International Society
for Neuroethology. Dr. Soares's dissertation
dealt with the biophysics of neurons
in the auditory brainstem of birds and
crocodilians. The findings of one of
her research projects—regarding
the function of the bumps on alligators'
faces—were
published in a Nature article
in May 2002 and earned widespread media
attention.
G.
Forrest Woods Memorial Atrium Grand
Opening
The College of Life
Sciences and the Department of Chemistry
and Biochemistry are pleased to mark
the opening of the G. Forrest Woods
Memorial Atrium with a symposium, reception
and tours on April 3. Please join the
celebration.
 9
a.m.: "Reflections on the Past
and a Look into the Future," with
a keynote address by the following distinguished
alumnae:
Marye
Anne Fox (Chancellor, North Carolina
State University)
Madeleine
Jacobs (Executive Director and CEO,
American Chemical Society)
Lura Powell (President
and CEO, Advanced Imaging Technologies)
11 a.m.: Grand Opening
Addresses and Acknowledgments
12 noon: Reception
and Tours
Anita Woods Frazier
made a significant planned gift to name
the Atrium for her late husband, who
was a distinguished professor and longtime
member of the Chemistry faculty. In
addition, many alumni, friends, donors
and faculty contributed to make possible
the construction of this attractive
venue for college and department gatherings.
For more information,
see the event's web
site or contact Dolores Jackson
at dej@umd.edu.
Arabidopsis
Minisymposium
 The
Annual Arabidopsis Minisymposium
is a one-day meeting organized by ATRIUM
(Arabidopsis thaliana Research
Initiative at University of Maryland)
and held on campus every spring. This
year's event will be held on Saturday,
April 3, in the Plant Sciences Building.
The meeting will run from 9 a.m. until
6 p.m.
The schedule includes
speakers from throughout the mid-Atlantic
region. To give everyone the opportunity
to present their data, a poster session
was added last year, and one is planned
this year. For more information, see
the ATRIUM web
site or contact Heven Sze by email
(hsze@umd.edu).
2004
JSHS Symposium News
 The
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium,
which recognized the scientific achievement
of local high-school students, was a
great success. The keynote address by
Nobel Laureate Dr. William Phillips
set the tone for an educational, fun
event. He wowed students with experiments
involving liquid nitrogen, including
a demonstration with a rubber ball;
after he put it in liquid nitrogen,
the ball shattered when bounced. Students
were eager to speak with him at the
Q&A session and at dinner.
After
the students toured campus laboratories,
presented their papers, and participated
in a science bowl, winners were recognized
in an awards ceremony.
-
Paper
presentations: Kiran Harding from
River Hill High School won first place
for his talk on "Comparative
Assessment of In Vitro Growth of Perkinsus
Species." He will receive a $4,000
scholarship. Students from Montgomery
Blair High School, Centennial High
School and River Hill High School
rounded out the top five winners who
will represent the state of Maryland
at the JSHS National Symposium April
28-May 2.
-
Science
Bowl: The Montgomery Blair High School
team won.
-
Faculty
Award: James Dyson and Tom Lawler,
both of Woodlawn High School, won
this award, which allows them to attend
the National Symposium.
Montgomery
County Executive Doug Duncan, Assistant
President Ann Wylie, Dean Norma Allewell,
Dean Stephen Halperin (CMPS), Associate
Dean Gary Pertmer (ENGR)
and Assistant Dean for Administration
Amel Anderson spoke at the awards ceremony.
For
more information about JSHS, see the
February 2004 newsletter article
or the JSHS web
site.
Funding
Alerts
List
of Funding Alerts - The list of funding
alerts is lengthy. You can find it on
the web at www.life.umd.edu/news-events/newsletter/fundinglist.html.
Community
of Science Database of Funding - If
you want information about the Community
of Science database of funding sources
go to the Office of Research Administration
and Advancement at www.umresearch.umd.edu/ORAA/.
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How
to Post Your News
If
you would like to share your accomplishments
or other news, please send a note (and
any accompanying photos)
to Meredith Brittain at
brittain@umd.edu. Issues are usually sent at the beginning
of each month.
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