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News
July 11, 2008 Shea named interim head of biochemistry at the UI
Shea succeeds John Donelson, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry, who has served as department head since 1998. Donelson will pursue a long-planned sabbatical in molecular parasitology at the University of Melbourne in Australia. He will remain a UI biochemistry faculty member. "We are delighted that Dr. Shea has agreed to lead the department through this period of transition," said Paul Rothman, M.D., dean of the UI Carver College of Medicine. "Madeline is an exceptional scientist and educator and an outstanding administrator who will ably advance departmental excellence and innovation. "The department's reputation for excellence is a result of the fine leadership provided by John Donelson over his decade-long tenure as department head," Rothman continued. "John has skillfully shaped and guided the department, making it a home for dynamic and successful scientific endeavor." Shea, who joined the UI Carver College of Medicine in 1989, has served as vice chair of biochemistry since 2004. She is an expert in the energetics and structural biology of protein-ligand interactions essential in calcium-mediated signal transduction. She has been a National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator, and she has served her field as the president of the Gibbs Society of Biological Thermodynamics and through memberships on other internal and external committees. She also is a graduate of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation Academic Leadership Program. As a former director of the UI Biochemistry Undergraduate Program, Shea also has a long-standing commitment to mentoring the next generation of scientists. She has trained numerous undergraduate, masters and graduate students in her lab, and mentored postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty as they embark on independent scientific careers. Shea currently teaches first-year medical students in medical biochemistry. Shea received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology and a doctoral degree in biophysics from Johns Hopkins University, where she also conducted postdoctoral research. For more information about Shea's research, visit http://www.biochem.uiowa.edu/Faculty/madelineshea.html. STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa Health Science Relations, 5135 Westlawn, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1178 MEDIA CONTACT: Jennifer Brown, 319-335-9917 jennifer-l-brown@uiowa.edu
leases.uiowa.edu/2008/july/071108shea.html
May 23, 2008 Five engineering faculty, staff receive excellence awards Five University of Iowa faculty and staff recently received College of Engineering Excellence Awards for their individual contributions to research, teaching, service, Staff research, and staff excellence in 2007-08. The five, honored by Dean P. Barry Butler at the College's annual faculty/staff recognition luncheon on May 13, are: Tonya L. Peeples, Faculty Excellence Award for Service; Michelle M. Scherer, Faculty Excellence Award for Research; David G. Wilder, Faculty Excellence Award for Teaching; Rajankumar Bhatt, Collegiate Staff Research Award; and Jane M. Dorman, Mary Sheedy Staff Excellence Award.
April 21, 2008 Kemin Contributes Global Soil Samples and Strain Collections to University of Iowa The contribution will increase the profile of Iowa’s Biotech Industry by creating DES MOINES, Iowa – April 21, 2008 – Kemin Industries made a contribution of 34,365 soil samples and 39,662 microbial strains to the University of Iowa today. The soil samples, collected from every continent and virtually every known ecology on the planet, is a tremendous source of genetic diversity for advanced medical discovery and biocatalytic applications of microorganisms and enzymes. Many of the soil samples come from old rain forests and/or ecologies that no longer exist. The Kemin strain collection consists of microorganisms isolated from these soils and includes actinomycetes, bacteria, and fungi. Each sample of soil contains millions of microorganisms, many of which have never been described or analyzed before. The soil samples can be mined for new microorganisms or genetic material for the discovery of new molecules critical to medical and industrial applications. University of Iowa’s Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing will implement a streamlined process for early stage screening for various enzymes. The collection will be openly offered to researchers, companies, and individuals who wish to mine the microorganisms for their own applications including screening for secondary metabolites and enzyme applications. “The soil samples and strain collections are valuable and unique assets,” said Dr. Chris Nelson, president of Kemin Industries. “We are very pleased to share it with the trusted and experienced University of Iowa researchers who will collaborate with us, other companies, and inventors to discover molecules and enzymes that could become vital to the improvement of human and animal nutrition and health.” “The University of Iowa is always looking for opportunities to engage with industries in research and development with practical outcomes in mind,” said Dr. Subramanian, Director of the University of Iowa Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing. “We are fortunate to have an enthusiastic partner like Kemin Industries to help us achieve this goal.” Kemin/UofI Soil Sample – Add One Potential discoveries in the soil samples and the strain collections could also lead to worldwide recognition for the University of Iowa and Iowa’s biotech industry. The soil samples and strain collections will create more opportunities for Iowa inventors. “The genetic diversity of our samples could lead to discoveries worth millions of dollars to the researchers, the University, and the state of Iowa,” continued Nelson, who is also the chair of Iowa Department of Economic Development’s Bioscience Alliance. “Kemin is committed to creating opportunities for bioscience companies to grow within the state of Iowa.” About the University of Iowa Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing Kemin® – Inspired Molecular Solutions™. For media inquiries, please contact:
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Peeples, associate professor of chemical and biochemical engineering, is a researcher in the field of organisms that thrive in extreme environments and has research interests that include extremophile biocatalysis and bioremediation. Peeples was nominated for her work as director of the Ethnic Inclusion Effort for Iowa Engineering -- a program designed to improve ethnic inclusion among engineering graduates and provide a model for other institutions interested in eliminating the disparity in ethnicity in engineering. Through Peeples' efforts, the College of Engineering continues to remain a national leader in its inclusion effort at the doctorate level. It has one of the highest percentages of U.S. underrepresented minorities in Carnegie Research I doctoral engineering programs in the nation. She also is the recipient of the 2000-01 Faculty Excellence Award for Teaching.The University of Iowa | Copyright © 2003. All rights reserved.