ASBMB taps 8 scientists for top awards

Douglas Rees, an HHMI Investigator and Professor of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology, will give the Fritz Lipmann Lectureship. This lectureship, which is awarded every 2 years, recognizes investigators who make conceptual advances in biochemistry, bioenergetics, and molecular biology. Rees has made pivotal contributions to understanding the structure of integral membrane proteins, membrane transport mechanisms, and metalloenzyme structure and mechanism.

Phillip Zamore, HHMI Investigator and Professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, will be presented with the Schering-Plough Research Institute Award. The Schering Plough Award was established to recognize young investigators for outstanding research at an early stage of their careers. A pioneer in the study of RNA silencing in eukaryotes, Zamore's laboratory has played a role in nearly all of the major breakthroughs in the study of RNA silencing.

Sandra Schmid, an investigator at the Scripps Research Institute, will be honored with the William C. Rose Award. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to biochemical and molecular biological research and a demonstrated commitment to the training of younger scientists. Schmid is an internationally recognized biochemist who has been a pioneer in our understanding of the molecular basis of receptor-mediated endocytosis.

Rochelle Schwartz-Bloom of Duke University Medical Center will receive the ASBMB Award for Exemplary Contributions to Education. The award, administered annually by the ASBMB Education & Professional Development Committee, is given to a scientist who encourages effective teaching and learning of biochemistry and molecular biology through his or her own teaching, leadership, writing, educational research, mentoring, or public enlightenment. Schwartz-Bloom's past research looked at novel pharmacologic approaches to prevent neuronal death caused by cerebral ischemia associated with cardiac arrest and stroke. Her current research program, which she started in 1996, focuses exclusively on science education.