SEATTLE -- Mar. 1, 2017 -- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center today announced the recipients of the Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award, which recognizes the outstanding achievement of graduate studies in the biological sciences. The thirteen award recipients were chosen by a selection committee of Fred Hutch faculty members and students for the quality, originality and significance of their work, and for representation of a diverse range of research topics.
The 2017 awardees attend universities across the U.S. -- from Caltech to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to Baylor College -- and one international recipient who attends the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. Their studies explore areas as far ranging as evolvability and order in the nervous system, how microbiome dynamics may control host immunity and metabolism and innovative treatment strategies for mitochondrial disease.
Named for the late Dr. Harold Weintraub, the award honors Weintraub's scientific leadership in the field of molecular biology and his legacy as an extraordinary mentor, colleague, collaborator and friend. He was passionate about understanding how a certain protein drives cell development, investigating RNA interference, and applying molecular manipulations pioneered in his lab to other areas of medical research, such as stem cell transplantation. Weintraub helped found the Basic Sciences Division at Fred Hutch and died of brain cancer in 1995 at age 49.
"Hal was one of the most outstanding scientists of his generation, as well as one of the most unpretentious," said Dr. Mark Groudine, molecular biologist and special advisor to the director's office at Fred Hutch. "Hal had the knack of identifying the important questions in biology and designing experimental approaches that were creative, simple and elegant."
Weintraub Award recipients will travel to Seattle for an award symposium held May 5, 2017 on the Fred Hutch campus. At the symposium, recipients will give scientific presentations and have the opportunity to convene with other students and faculty members. Each awardee will receive a certificate, travel expenses and honorarium from The Weintraub and Groudine Fund, created to foster intellectual exchange through supporting programs for graduate students, fellows and visiting scholars.
"By nurturing colleagues, students and postdocs, and helping all of us become better scientists, Hal was instrumental in establishing the collegial atmosphere at the Hutchinson Center. We believe having a symposium recognizing the achievements of young scientists is a great way to honor Hal and the recipients of this award," said Groudine.
2017 Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award recipients:
Thomas Bartlett
Ph.D., Molecular Biology
Princeton University
Lynne Chantranupong
Ph.D., Biology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Raphael Cohn
Ph.D., Neurophysiology and Behavior
Rockefeller University
Kelsie Eichel
Ph.D., Cellular Biology
University of California, San Francisco
Qing Feng
Ph.D., Molecular and Cellular Biology
Fred Hutch/ University of Washington
Isha Jain
Ph.D., Health Sciences and Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Daniel Lin
Ph.D., Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics
Caltech
Lucy Liu
Ph.D., Neuroscience
Baylor College of Medicine
Siew Cheng Phua
Ph.D., Cellular and Molecular Biology
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Dheeraj Roy
Ph.D., Brain & Cognitive Sciences
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Sukrit Silas
Ph.D., Chemical and Systems Biology
Stanford University
Christoph Thaiss
Ph.D., Immunology
Weizmann Institute of Science
Candice Yip
Ph.D., Neurobiology
Harvard Medical School
Photos of the award recipients are available upon request. Previous recipients of the Weintraub Award can be found here.
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About Fred Hutch
At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, home to three Nobel laureates, interdisciplinary teams of -renowned scientists seek new and innovative ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Fred Hutch's pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation led to the development of immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the immune system to treat cancer with minimal side effects. An independent, nonprofit research institute based in Seattle, Fred Hutch houses the nation's first and largest cancer prevention research program, as well as the clinical coordinating center of the Women's Health Initiative and the international headquarters of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Private contributions are essential for enabling Fred Hutch scientists to explore novel research opportunities that lead to important medical breakthroughs. For more information visit fredhutch.org or follow Fred Hutch on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.
Contact
Claire Hudson
O: 206.667.7365
M: 206.919.8300
crhudson@fredhutch.org