April 2006 news
April 30, 2006
Bill Folk's Lab
MU biochemistry student receives national recognition for undergraduate research and academic achievement
By Christine Feeley
Since it was established 18 years ago, the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation has awarded 4,885 scholarships totaling approximately $48 million to the brightest math, science and engineering undergraduate students in the United States. This year, Ashley Acevedo, a biochemistry major at the University of Missouri-Columbia, was chosen from among 1,081 college sophomores and juniors to receive the award.
Goldwater Scholars from science, engineering and computer-related disciplines are nominated by the faculty of their respective colleges and universities for their impressive academic performance. Each student receives a one or two-year scholarship of up to $7,500 per year to cover the costs of tuition, fees, books, and room and board. In addition, many Goldwater recipients also are awarded national post-graduate fellowships such as the Rhodes Scholarship and Marshall Award.
Acevedo, a sophomore from Oklahoma, is an undergraduate researcher mentored by William Folk, professor of biochemistry. In Folk's lab, students are developing ways to enhance the nutritional value of staple crops, such as rice, corn and sorghum, by increasing the amount of essential amino acids. Acevedo is investigating whether plants have a multisynthetase complex, a group of specialized RNA enzymes and auxiliary proteins that could play an important role in the nutritional enhancement of these crops.
"To me, receiving the Goldwater is recognition of all the hard work I've done to help get me to where I am," Acevedo said. "At the same time, I feel a great deal of appreciation for the people who have supported me along the way."
Acevedo is working with Folk through MU's Exposure to Research for Science Students (EXPRESS) program funded by the National Institutes of Health. This program is designed to provide freshmen and sophomore minority students better access to science doctoral programs. Acevedo will use her Goldwater Scholarship to help her obtain a doctorate in biochemistry from Stanford University. In the future, she hopes to work in academia as a tenured professor at a top-tier university.
Joni R. Bramon, a Missouri native and biology major attending Columbia College, also received a Goldwater Scholarship. Bramon participated in the MU Summer Program in Chemistry in 2005 and was mentored by J. David Robertson, MU professor of chemistry.
Charlotte Phillips's Lab
Amanda Brodeur (one of our newest PhD's- April 3, 2006) gave birth to her son, Cole Michael Brodeur, at 5:16 p.m. Cole weighed in at 7 pounds, 11 ounces and is 20.5 inches long. The whole family is doing well Mom, Dad (Chris Brodeur) and baby (save being a little tired!).
Its been a very productive month!
Joe Polacco's Lab
On April 7 Dr Lorenzo Lamattina will begin a three-month stay in Polacco lab, supported by a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship.
Professor Lamattina is from the Biological Research Institute of the National University of Mar del Plata, Argentina. While here he will be conducting experiments on nitric oxide function in plants and will co-edit a Springer book, with Joe Polacco, on NO synthesis and roles in plants.
Frank Schmidt's Lab
Recent publication
Striggles, J.C., Martin, M.B., and Schmidt, F.J. Frequency of RNA-RNA interaction in a model of the RNA world. RNA 12:353-359
Jay Thelen's Lab
Recent publications
Agrawal GK, Thelen JJ. (2005) Development of a simplified, economical polyacrylamide gel staining protocol for phosphoproteins. Proteomics. 5:4684-8.
Hajduch M, Casteel JE, Hurrelmeyer KE, Song Z, Agrawal GK, Thelen JJ. (2006) Proteomic analysis of seed filling in Brassica napus: Developmental characterization of metabolic isozymes using high-resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Plant Physiol. In press
Mooney BP, Miernyk JA, Greenlief CM, Thelen JJ. (2006) Using quantitative proteomics of Arabidopsis roots and leaves to predict metabolic activity. Physiologia Plantarum.
Faculty news
Virginia Peterson has been named the Outstanding Faculty Advisor by the MU Advisor's Forum. Virginia is the fifth faculty member from CAFNR to win this award since its inception in 1995. Please join us in congratulating Virginia on this outstanding accomplishment.
Dr. Doug Randall is the winner of the 2006 American Society of Plant Biologists' Charles Reid Barnes Life Membership Award. He will receive this award during the ASPB annual meeting in Boston, Mass., in August.
Graduate student news
Tommi White was awarded one of three Graduate Student Association Superior Graduate Achievement Awards for 2006. The recipients of this award are selected from among their peers based on teaching, research, service, mentoring, departmental contributions or any other dimension of graduate student work.
Staff news
Mary Ellen Roth was the winner of the "Going Above and Beyond" award given by the CAFNR Staff Council. Please join us in congratulating Mary Ellen!