From the Department Head This Newsletter brings the sad news that Ernie Pollard passed away February 24, 1997, at the age of 91. For those of you too young to know, Ernie was one of the founding fathers of our department, bringing Biophysics to Penn State, one of the departments which merged to become our current department (see Pollard article). A memorial service was held for Ernie in Eisenhower Chapel on September 20. You may recall that friends of Ernie's endowed a professorship and a lectureship in his name, to which contributions can be made.

In the Spring 1996 Newsletter I listed the four alumni of our department who were honored as Alumni Fellows and the three alumni honored as Distinuished Alumni. One of the Distinguished Alumni, Dr. Ming Chu, was also honored as an Alumni Fellow last Spring. The Alumni Fellows Program brings prominent and outstanding alumni--leaders in their field--to campus to lend their expertise through informal contacts with students, faculty, and administrators. Dr. Chu is currently Chair of Diagnostic Immunology Research at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo and is best known for developing the prostatic specific antigen (PSA) test, males over 40 are recommended to have periodically. While visiting the university and our department, he presented a talk entitled "Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA): Basic Research to Cancer Screening." I am also very pleased to announce at this time that Dr. Chu has endowed a professorship in our department, bringing the number of our endowed professorships to four (Berg, Pollard, Person, Chu). We are very grateful for this professorship which in the future will be used to attract another outstanding faculty member to our department.

In the first Newsletter in Fall of 1994, I indicated the size of the department. Because that was three years ago, it's about time to bring you up to date. With the addition of new faculty this coming year (see below), we will have 31 full-time faculty and three other faculty having quarter appointments in our department (primary appointment in Biology). In addition, we have six full-time instructors. Since approximately 85% of the new students in the Eberly College of Science major in the Biological Sciences, the number of our undergraduate majors is swellling. This Fall we will have approximately 650 students who have declared a major or who have indicated their intent to declare a major in one of the three undergraduate programs in our department: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, or Microbiology. We will have 90 graduate students enrolled in our graduate program and others this Fall, 40 postdocs and 20 technicians. We have a technical staff of six, and a clerical and administrative staff of thirteen. Finally, our external funding is approximately $7,000,000 annually.

Personnel

Three new faculty will be joining us as assistant professors this year. Craig Cameron received his bachelors degree from Howard university, magna cum laude, in Chemistry and Mathematics, his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, and has just completed postdoctoral studies here at Penn State in the laboratory of Dr. Steven Benkovic in Chemistry. Craig's research focuses on genome replication of hepatitis C virus.

Joseph Reese received his bachelors degree in Biology, with a minor in Chemistry, from Boston University, his Ph.D. in Molecular Physiology from the University of Illinois and has just completed postdoctoral studies in Molecular Medicine in the laboratory of Michael Green at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester. Joe's research focuses on coordination of transcription and cell cycle control in yeast.

Davis Ng received his bachelors degree in Molecular Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology at Northwestern and is completing his postdoctoral studies in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California Medical School, San Francisco. Davis's research focuses on biogenesis and regulation of the early secretory pathway in yeast.

Honors and Awards

One of our faculty members has just received a very high honor; Jerry Workman has been appointed as an investigator (associate member) of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). There are only 330 HHMI investigators nation-wide, at 72 institutions, and their ranks include the most distinguished of scientists at all stages of their careers. Jerry is one of 70 appointees in this round of competition, which consisted of 370 nominations from 200 selected institutions, with a limit of two nominees per institution. Appointments were made to 10 institutions which previously were not represented. Penn State is one of those 10, as Jerry becomes the first HHMI investigator in the Penn State system.

Under the unusual terms of the award, Jerry will become an employee of HHMI, which will rent his laboratory space from the University. The several new postdocs and technicians who will be employed in Jerry's lab will also be employees of HHMI. In effect, Jerry's lab will become a HHMI laboratory within Althouse Laboratory. The appointment is for 6 years and is renewable.

Greg Ferry, who joined our faculty from Virginia Tech two years ago, and who is the principal investigator on the NSF Research Training Grant described in the last Newsletter, has become the first holder of the Stan Person Professorship. In addition, a student in his lab will be selected to receive the Stan Person Graduate Fellowship.

Dick Frisque has been namedthe 1997 recipient of the C.I. Noll Award for Excellence in Teaching presented by the Eberly College of Science Alumni Society. "The C.I. Noll Award is presented annually to recognize an outstanding faculty member in the Eberly College of Science who has excelled in the classroom and who has had a positive impact on students." Dick becomes the 25th recipient of the Award.

Kamal Rashid is Director of the Biotechnology Workshops offered through our department as well as the Summer Symposium in Molecular Biology. Both of these programs have been highly successful, largely due to Kamal's efforts. In recognition of his "commitment to continuing education, administrative and academic abilities, fund raising, international experience, and ability to teach students of all ages," Kamal has been chosen the recipient of a Faculty Service Award presented by the Conferences and Institutes Division of the National University Continuing Education Association.

Last year I communicated to you that the University is permitted to nominate four students to the Goldwater Fellowship competition. Each of these Penn State students were awarded one of the 250 Fellowships presented nationwide to outstanding undergraduates majoring in math, science and engineering; three were majors in our department. Although we weren't as successful this year, I am proud to announce two out of the four fellowships awarded to Penn State students were from our department. They are David Dudzinski, doing research in Frank Pugh's lab, and David Kaczorowski, doing research in Greg Farber's lab.

Chandreyee Das, who did her honors research in Greg Farber's lab, was awarded a Fulbright grant to cover the cost of studying the mechanisms of efficient drug delivery with Dr. Li Qiutian at the National University of Singapore. Chandreyee came to Pennn State in 1993 as a Braddock Scholar, fully funded by the Eberly College of Science for her outstanding potential in science. As a sophomore, Chandreyee was the recipient of a Goldwater Scholarship (mentioned above) and graduated with a near perfect GPA in biochemistry. Following her Fulbright year, Chandreyee will take up a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship which funds graduate study for three years at the University of California-San Francisco. Besides having outstanding scientific ability, Chandreyee plays the violin, sings Indian music, writes short stories and poetry, and speaks three languages. We wish Chandreyee continued success in the future.

ERNEST C. POLLARD
A Founder of the Biophysical Society
-by Stan Person

Professor Ernest C. Pollard, 91, died on February 24 in Jupiter, Florida while on vacation from his home in the Isle of Wight, England. Professor Pollard's career spanned research in nuclear physics, contributions to the development of radar during World War II, and investigations of the physics of living processes, especially the effects of radiation on cells and viruses and the repair of damage caused by radiation. He was the author of numerous texts and articles in his field and was one of four scientists who founded the Biophysical Society in 1957.

The son of English missionary parents, Professor Pollard was born in Yunnan, China on April 16, 1906 and spent his early years there. His undergraduate and postgraduate education was at Cambridge University where he received his Ph.D. in nuclear physics in 1932. He joined the faculty of the Physics Department at Yale University in 1933, where he later established and became the chairman of their Biophysics Department. In 1960 he jointed The Pennsylvania State University where he was chairman of the Biophysics Department until his retirement in 1971. Between then and 1986, Professor Pollard was a research scholar at the University of Florida, Duke University and the National Institutes of Environmental Health in North Carolina.

Pollard began his research and teaching career in nuclear physics and, along with Rutherford and Chadwick at Cambridge, made some of the first determinations of the radium of the nucleus. He subsequently made significant contributions to the development of radar at the Radiation Labs in Cambridge, MA during World War II. In 1945 he returned to Yale and to a career in nuclear physics, and it was there that he began applying physical principles to biological systems. Because of his background, he chose to study the effects of ionizing radiation on proteins, nucleic acids, viruses and bacteria. His early work allowed the estimation of the sizes and shapes of macromolecules. His research ultimately led to a more quantitative understanding of how a variety of radiations cause their damage and how organisms repair that damage. At Yale, he was largely responsible for the construction of one of the first cyclotrons to produce a beam of radiation. He used deuterons and alpha-particles from the cyclotron in many of the early studies.

He was the major author of texts on microwave radiation, nuclear physics, physics for non-scientists, physics of viruses, and molecular biophysics as well as an author on more than 200 scientific articles in nuclear physics and radiation biophysics. An inspiring teacher, he trained more than 50 Ph.D. students at Yale and Penn State. He was president of the Biophysical Society (1959-1960) and of the Radiation Research Society (1961-1962). In 1967 he became an Evan Pugh Research Professor of Biophysics at Penn State. In the early 1950s he was chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology for the Democratic party.

The Ernest C. Pollard Professorship in Biotechnology at Penn State was established in 1990 from contributions from hundreds of people who came to know him over the years. His combination of humor, wisdom, an analytical and sharp intellect, and dedication to the preservation of the human spirit is rare. The missionary zeal of his parents was expressed in Professor Pollard as a dedication to excellence in all that he did. His legacy to science is as a humanist, mentor, teacher and scholar, but most important, his legacy is in the works of those who knew him and continue in his footsteps.

Professor Pollard is survived by his wife, Freda Pollard, two children, Carol Pollard White and Stephen, seven grandchildren, Same White, Cynthia White, Jeremy White, Jennifer White, Ben Pollard, Stephanie Pollard, Blake Pollard, and one great-grandchild, Ben White. His first wife of 53 years, Elizabeth Watson Pollard, died in 1986, and a daughter, Anne Pollard White, died in 1972.

Theses

The following undergraduate students graduated as University Scholars from the department in 1997:

Kristi A. Balczarek, Dr. Lai
"Molecular Evolution as a Means to Study Development: A Study of the PAX and ETS Gene Families"

Christine L. Bell, Dr. Gilmour
"In Vivo Analysis of a TATA Mutation in the HSP70 Promoter of D. Melanogaster"

Chandreyee Das, Dr. Kao
"Self-Incompatibility and Pollen Gene Expression in Petunia Inflata"

Justin Fisher, Dr. Gay
"A Study of Calcium Translocation in Chick Osteoblasts"

Alia Matthews, Dr. Johnson
"Isolation of the Sequence of the Gene Encoding the Small Subunit of Human DNA Polymerase g"

Robert C. Netter, Jr., Dr. Pugh
"Dynamics of TBP and TFIIA Interaction"

Christian A. Weidman, Dr. Pugh
"Dynamic Interplay of TFIIA, TBP, and TATA DNA"

Amy Youchnow, Dr. Tu
"Characterization of P-Element Insertions in Five Drosophila Mutants with Varying Resistanceto Phenobarbital"

The following students received MS or Ph.D. degrees in 1996/97:

Alex Jon Bowers, MS, Dr. Wojchowski
"Mechanisms of Epo-Stimulated Beta-Globin Gene Expression: A Chimeric Receptor Approach to Essential Domains and Effectors"

Eleanor Leigh Briley, MS, Dr. Pugh
"Effects of Transcription Factor IIA and SP1 on the Dimerization of Partial TFIID Complexes"

John Dale Jackson, Ph.D., Dr. Hardison
"Functional Analysis of the Locus Control Region of the Mammalian Beta-Globin Gene Domain"

Roberta Ilene Kaufman, Ph.D., Dr. Nixon
"Transcriptional Activation of DCTA in Rhizobium meliloti DCTB/D Mutants"

Richard Donald Kidd, Ph.D., Drs. Johnson and Farber
"I. Strategies for Crystallizing the Kinesin Motor Domain; II. Structures of Mutants of Subtilisin BPN' in Dimethylformamide"

Baiyong Li, Ph.D., Dr. Gilmour
"Analysis of Promoter Proximal Pausing of RNA Polymerase II on the Drosophila HSP70 Promoter"

Angela Zhenyan Ling, Ph.D., Dr. Deering
"The Upstream Sequence of Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonuclease of Dictyostelium discoideum and Its Use in the Establishment of a Conditional Gene Expression System"

William Peter Long, MS, Dr. Bryant
"Phenotypic Characterization of ycf4 Mutants of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002"

Andrew Kenneth Patrick Taggart, Ph.D., Dr. Pugh
"Dimerization of Transcription Factor TFIID: Implications in Gene Regulation"

Phillip Preston Walter, Ph.D., Dr. Workman
"Mechanism by Which Histone Chaperone Proteins Stimulate Transcription Factor Binding"

Ross Edward Whitwam, Ph.D., Dr. Tien
"Site-Directed Mutagenesis on Mn Peroxidase, A Lignin-Degrading Enzyme from Phanerochaete chrysosporium"

Congratulations!

How Genes Work Together to Control Neural Development
by Barbara Kennedy

A research team, led by Zhi-Chun Lai, has discovered how three genes work together to regulate the development of nerve cells. Dr. Lai and and Dr. Richard W. Carthew at the University of Pittsburgh, and independently, Dr. Gerald M. Rubin, of the University of California at Berkelely, have publshed their results in Cell.

To make their discovery, Lai and Carthew's team studied fruit-fly eyes to figure out which genes regulate the development of photoreceptor neurons--cells that convert light signals into chemical signals the brain can understand. The team used both genetic studies and cell-culture studies to complement and confirm their findings. "The fly genes we are studying are amazingly similar to their corresponding human genes and, at the very fundamental cellular level, there is no difference between the human cell and the fly cell," Lai explains. "Plus flies are a very good organism for genetic engineering."

During a fly's development, on about the fourth day of life, certain proto-eye cells receive instructions from the fly's genes to become either light-filtering cone cells or photoreceptor neurons. "That's when we dissect the eyes to look at them under the microscope," Lai says.

External signals tell the developing cells what kind of cell to become by initiating a cascade of internal molecular reactions called the "signal transduction pathway." "Cancer can result if errors occur in the signal-transduction pathway, giving a cell the signal to divide instead of the signal to become a neuron," Carthew explains. "These signal-transduction pathways are indispensible for life because they are critical for neural development, but they also can be a threat to life if a harmful error occurs somewhere along the pathway, resulting in uncontrolled cell division rather than controlled cell differentiation."

Last year Lai discovered an important clue about how a component of the signal-transduction pathway--a special kind of cell-growth regulator known as a neural inhibitor--works genetically. He found that proto-eye cells could become neurons only when the gene for making a protein known as Tramtrack was inactivated.

"Tramtrack is a kind of 'gatekeeper' protein that prevents the cell from differentiating into a neuron," Carthew explains. "When the cell receives a signal to become a neuron the signal-transduction pathway is activated, which induces the production of proteins that somehow get rid of Tramtrack." With that discovery pointing the way, Lai, Carthew, and their research team began a search to discover exactly which proteins were responsible for destroying Tramtrack.

The researchers genetically engineered strains of fruit flies to test a number of genes whose protein products they suspected would be good candidates. "There are two genetic directions you can take," Lai explains. "If you want to show that a gene is important for some function, you take it away and see what happens. Another thing you can do is to cause genes to overproduce their protein product in a cell and see what happens then."

Using this approach, the researchers narrowed down their list of candidate proteins to just two, known as Phyllopod and Sina, and demonstrated that they team up to target the Tramtrack protein for destruction. In the process, they also discovered the first known biochemical function for the Phyllopod and Sina proteins. "Our test-tube experiments demonstrated that Sina and Phyllopod bind to each other to form a partnership and that they also bind to Tramtrack to form a triad," Carthew says.

Using genetically engineered flies with either no Sina or with no Phyllopod proteins, Lai and Carthew discovered that the Tramtrack protein was able to be produced in the photoreceptor precursor cells, which later transform into cone cells. They also found, on the other hand, that overproduction of Phyllopod alone prevented accumulation of the Tramtrack protein as long as the Sina protein also was available in the same cell, which turned cone cells into photoreceptor cells. "We consider that to be a dramatic change," Lai remarks. "It tells us, as do our corresponding studies in cell culture, that together Phyllopod and Sina proteins are essential for targeting the Tramtrack protein for destruction."

"We are pretty confident that together Phyllopod and Sina bind to the gatekeeper protein, Tramtrack, which is the kiss of death that marks it for destruction by the cell's garbage-disposal enzymes," Carthew says. "Once the gatekeeper Tramtrack protein is removed, the cell is free to become a neuron."

"Up until a few years years ago, everyone thought developing cells always received positive signals, but now evidence is building at a rapid rate that the message often carried by the signal-transduction pathway is 'kill the gatekeeper,'" Carthew says.

"Many vertebrate proteins, some known to be involved in cancers, carry a structural feature similar to the Tramtrack protein," Lai says. "We are now searching for other biological systems where genes for Tramtrack-like proteins prevent cell development."

This research was supported in Lai's lab by the National Science Foundation and by a March of Dimes Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Research Award.

WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT

In this time of decreased support from the State of Pennsylvania and the extreme difficulty in obtaining Federal funds, contributions to the department become increasingly more important in permitting us to pursue our departmental goals. I'm sure you are aware that if you make donations to the University you can direct them to wherever you wish. If you would like to direct your donations to our department, there are several funds to which you may contribute.

Endowed funds are those which require a certain amount to establish them, are invested, and from which the interest each year is available for awards. These can take the form of an endowed faculty position, a scholarship, a lectureship or an award; additional funds can be added to the principal of these endowments at any time.

Other funds are not endowed. They may accrue interest, but generally amounts are withdrawn from them as necessary to fill the needs of the program to which they have been designated.

Below is a listing of funds within our department. We would of course be very pleased to receive donations toward any of them you may choose to support. Following the list of funds are those of you who contributed to any of them in 1996.

We greatly appreciate your generous support. Each Newsletter we will publish the names of those of you who have contributed since the previous Newsletter.

Endowed Funds

• Arthur K. Anderson Memorial Award
• Irving and Jeanne Atlas Scholarship in Biochemistry
• Paul and Mildred Berg Travel Endowment
• Paul and Mildred Berg Scholar Endowment
• Adams Dutcher Memorial Fund
• Charles R. Gerth Scholarship
• Kevin Daniel Gilmore Memorial Award
• Richard l. Maginnis Memorial Award
• Stanley Person Professorship in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Stanley Person Graduate Fellowship in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Pollard Lecture in Biophysics or Molecular Biology
• Stone Lecture in Microbiology
• Daniel R. Tershak Memorial Scholarship
• Daniel R. Tershak Memorial Graduate Fellowship
• Daniel R. Tershak Memorial Teaching Award

• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department
• Biochemistry Program
• Microbiology Program
• Medical Technology Program
• Frederick C. Wedler Memorial Fund in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

1996/97 Distinguished Lectures

Dr. Joan Steitz presented the Russell Marker Lectures in Genetic Engineering, titled "snRNPs: Building Blocks of the Cell Nucleus." Dr. Steitz is Henry Ford II Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University.

Dr. William A. Eaton presented the Pollard Lecture in Biochemistry or Molecular Biology, titled "'Fast' Events in Protein Folding." Dr. Eaton is Chief of the Laboratory of Chemical Physics at the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Ralph S. Wolfe presented the Stone Lecture in Microbiology, titled "My Kind of Biology--Challenges of the Hunt." Dr. Wolfe is a Professor of Microbiology at the University of Illinois.

Microbial Structural Biology was the topic of The Sixteenth Penn State Summer Symposium in Molecular Biology held August 7-9, 1997.

Dr. Christopher T. Walsh, Professor at Harvard Medical School presented the keynote address ("From Peptide Precursors to Oxadole and Thiazole-Containing Peptide Antibiotics: The E. Coli Microcin B17 Maturation Pathway"), and Dr. Wolfgang Baumeister of Max-Planck Institute gave a plenary lecture ("The protein folding - and degradation machinery of Thermoplasma acidophilum"). This year's symposium was offered in collaboration with The University of Georgia.

Alumni News

'50

Charlotte Lutinski Madar (B.S., '55) is President/Owner of Professional Travel Planners Bureau, Inc. in Shelton, CT.

'60

Arthur S. Tischler (B.S., Bioch., '66) is Professor of Pathology at Tufts University School of Medicine. He received his M.S. in 1971 from Thomas Jefferson University, followed by his internship and residency at Beth Israel Hospital, Harvard Medical School. This was followed by two years in the Army at Walter Reed Hospital. He joined Tufts in 1978 where he does research and diagnostic pathology with a research focus on endocrine and neural tumors.

Janet D. Fiero (B.S., Bioch., '68, Carl Clagett) moved into the semiconductor industry early in her career, first as an engineer, then manager, then corporate manager of engineering training. She is nationally and internationally known in the quality improvement field. She has been a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Examiner four times. Having received her M.B.A. from Arizona State University in 1986, she recently started her Ph.D. in Organizational Development at the Fielding Institute. She has been President of her own company, IEE Consulting, Inc., for twelve years, specializing in organization and systems consulting. She is married and has three children.

Donna Foster Myer (M.S., Biophys., '69, Richard Morgan) married David Myer (D.Ed., Physics, '74) and has two children and two grandchildren. She is a Staff Development Training Specialist/Orientation Coordinator with the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs with special work in stress management, TQM, team facilitation, communication between disciplines, and science applications to human services.

'70

Richard W. Shore (B.S., '73) received his Elayne Kalaminsky (B.S., Bioch., '74, Drs. Hartzell and McCarl) served as a Research Aide with Dr. Fahnestock during 1974-75. She is currently a Chemistry Teacher in Plymouth, MA.

Fern Burgis Mullins (B.S., Med. Tech., '75) graduated from Temple University School of Dentistry with a D.D.S. degree in 1983. She recently marked her 10th anniversary practicing Family Dentistry with Dr. Harry J. Shleifer in Bethlehem, PA. She sings with and is a member of the Board of Directors of ACC, A Chorus Celebrating Women. The Chorus was recently featured on a CD of holiday music entitled "A Lehigh Valley Christmas."

Frederick W. Scalise (B.S., Micrb., '76) graduated from University of Oregon (M.S., Biology [neuroendocrinology]) in 1982 and from Wesleyan University (Ph.D. Molecular Biology and Biochemistry [developmental biology]) in 1987. He founded OMNICON Environmental Management in 1983 and is currently Principal/Senior Consultant. OMNICON is a firm specializing in pollution prevention and control, environmental/occupational health compliance, environmental contamination identification and investigation, and contamination cleanup/remediation. He resides in the Eugene, Oregon area with his wife and two daughters.

Steven Chalfin (B.S., Biophys., '76) is Assistant Professor and Deputy Chairman, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, TX. In October, 1996, he was elected a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Peggy A. (Diehl) Mann (B.S., Med. Tech., '76) is residing in the Clear Lake City Area of Galveston, TX, with her husband, David, and their son. She has worked at University of Texas Medical Branch for about 15 years. Currently she is setting up point-of-care (bedside testing) at UTMB hospitals through Clinical Chemistry Department.

Sorena Rubesne Ostlund (B.S., Micrb., '77) worked to establish a microvascular surgery teaching lab after graduation. She returned to PSU to obtain a Nursing Degree and was one of the first Trauma Coordinators at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. She currently is a Staff Anesthetist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and lives with her husband, Warren, and son in Pittsburgh.

William M. Cress (B.S., Bioch., '77) married Becky S. Cribbs (B.S., FSHA, '76) in 1977 and they have two children. He worked in various capacities until hired by Duquesne Light in October, 1979. He was the Nuclear Chemist at the Light Water Breeder Reactor at Shippingport, PA, assigned as Reactor Plant Chemist at decommissioning in 1983. He received B.S. (equivalent) in Chemistry in 1980 and B.S. Mechanical Engineering (1990) at Pitt. He is presently enrolled in part-time graduate studies in Chemical Engineering at Carnegie-Mellon University. Hobbies include helping restore a World War II low level attack bomber for air shows and following the manned space program.

Christine Norante Weyant (B.S., Med. Tech., '77) recently completed her M.B.A. at Katz Graduate School of Business. She is currently Manager, Healthcare Consulting with Management Consulting Solutions, Inc., Cranberry Twp, PA. She resides in Wexford, PA, with her husband, Robert, and two children.

Kendra LaBarge Borka (B.S., Micrb., '79) has been married to Greg Borka for 15 years and they have three sons. She is working for the Army as an Environmental Specialist. She is a Major in the Army Reserves, Commander of the 304th Civil Affairs Brigade, Philadelphia.

Carol Roberts Wright (B.S., Bioch., '79, Bob Matthews) is a board certified Fitness Professional and personal trainer. She is also owner and principal chef of The Serving Spoon, a gourmet catering service. She is married to Randall J. Wright (LARCH, '79) and has one daughter.

'80

George C. Bandik (B.S., Bioch., '80) is Undergraduate Coordinator for the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and Assistant Dean of Arts and Sciences.

Dale Petrak (B.S., Med. Tech., '80) has held a variety of positions in medical sales for the past 10 years. He recently accepted a position with Alexon Biomedical as National Accounts Manager for the Eastern U.S. He is married and has two sons.

Timothy Donohue (Ph.D., Micrb., '80, Bob Bernlohr) is Professor of Bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and became Director of the Biotechnology Pre-doctoral Training Grant in 1996. His wife, Patricia Kiley, was promoted with tenure in 1996. He has a three year old son that keeps him busy.

Terry L. Katz (B.S., Micrb., '81) is employed with Schering-Plough Animal Health in Union, NJ. He is proud to announce the birth of a son, Andrew Eric, born on January 25, 1997.

Gerald E. Fronko (B.S., Micrb., '81) received his Ph.D. (Micrb.) in 1987 and his M.D. in 1991 from Temple University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Hershey Medical Center in 1995. He was Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics (1995/6) and currently practices in Carlisle where he resides with his wife, Kelli.

Joan L. Maurer (B.S., Bioch., '82) is employed as a Specialist in Blood Banking [SBB (ASCP)] with the National Reference Laboratory for Blood Group Serology, American Red Cross Blood Services. Her duties include Coordinator of the Rare Donor Registry (Donor Program) and the Blood Bank Fellow Program in conjunction with Thomas Jefferson University Hospital as well as immunohematological serology.

Ann (Stancavage) Dougherty (B.S., Bioch., '82) currently resides in Virginia with her husband, Cole Dougherty (B.S., Mech. Eng., '93), who is employed as a Senior Engineer by Merck & Co. Ann is Founder and President of The CE Advantage, a contract testing and consulting firm specializing in capillary electrophoresis and capillary electrochromatography.

Joyce Polak (B.S., Micrb., '83) has been working in the Microbiology Lab at Boca Raton Community Hospital in Florida for the last ten years. She recently became an independent distributor with Rexall Showcase International, promoting natural preventative health care and anti-aging products.

James M. Slauch (B.S., Bioch., '84, Richard Frisque) is Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois. He is married to Sandra L. Rosborough (B.S., Bioch., '84) and they have two children.

Michael Paul Tyler (B.S., Micrb., '85) is President of Fairway Laboratories, Inc., in Altoona, PA.

Nanette (DeFrancesco) Mittereder (B.S., Bioch., '85, Allen Phillips) has been employed with Genetic Therapy Inc. in Gaithersburg, MD, for the past seven years. Her work is in the area of Gene Therapy and Cystic Fibrosis research. She is married to Ken Mittereder (B.S., Elect. Eng., '85) and they have two children.

Kirsten (West) Stewart (B.S., Micrb., '86) is Senior Technologist Biochemical Genetics at Magee Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh.

Joseph W. Polli (B.S., MCB, '86) received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology (Hershey) with Melvin Billingsley in 1991. Joe is currently a Research Investigator II with GLAXO Wellcome, Inc. He is currently working on drug development projects to predict CNS penetration and the application of genotyping to clinical trials in order to explain pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic variability. His wife, Christine (B.S., Sp. Com., '86) and their four children are enjoying North Carolina very much.

David L. Hurley (Ph.D., MCB, '86, Reg Deering) recently received tenure and was promoted to Associate Professor at Tulane University. He also received an NSF CAREER Award for five years to study the unique transcription factor, Zn-15, important for the synergistic regulation of Growth Hormone. David also was recipient of an "Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching" Award from Tulane for "Cellular Biochemistry."

Daniel E. Toocheck (B.S., '87) completed an Optometry Fellowship in 1996 in Utrecht, The Netherlands, at the Hageschool von Utrecht. He is currently in private practice in Clifton Heights, PA.

Michelle Filipek (B.S., Micrb., '87) is currently Territory Manager for SIGMA-Aldrich Research.

Rob Christner (B.S., Micrb., '87) received his Ph.D. in Microbiology from Ohio State in 1993. In the same year he married Jenny G. Christner, M.D. In late 1995, Rob became Research Director at Receptor Pro, Inc., a startup biotechnology company.

Denise N. Blysick McKenna (B.S., Micrb., '87) along with her husband Ray, are proud to announce the birth of their second son. Brendan Thomas McKenna was born in August, 1996, at Overlook Hospital in Summit, NJ.

Kathryn Glas (B.S., Bioch., '87) graduated from the Medical College of Virginia in May, 1992, and completed Anesthesiology Residency MCV in June, 1996. She is currently doing a one year Cardiac Anesthesia Fellowship at Emory University.

Jim Powell (B.S., MCB, '88, Teh-hui Kao) received his M.D. from Hershey Medical Center in 1992 and is currently at Duke University Medical Center as a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellow.

Karen (Ponzely) Litak (B.S., Micrb., '88) and Peter Litak (B.S., Bioch., '88) are currently residing in Skippack, PA.

Tammy (Loucks) Daniels (B.S., Micrb., '88) is a Staff Research Associate with the Magee-Womens Research Institute in Pittsburgh. She and her husband, Scott, live in Mt. Pleasant, PA, with their two children.

Erica Rose (B.S., Micrb., '88) is currently Policy Manager with Smithkline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, R & D.

Theresa L. (Hoffmaster) Wood (B.S., Micrb., '88) is a Biochemist with Merck & Co. She is married to Richard T. Wood (B.S., Parks & Rec., '87) and they have two children.

Amy J. Pichora (B.S., Micrb., '88) is a Utilization Analyst in Laboratory Sciences of AZ, UC.

Rowland Vereen Bynum (B.S., Micrb., '88, Phil Mohr) received his M.S. Ed. at the University of Pennsylvania in 1995. Since that time he has been employed as a chemistry teacher at Perry Traditional Academy by the Pittsburgh Board of Education. He participated with WQED as a Master Teacher for the National Teachers Training Institute, has conducted a SAT Prep Workshop, and participated in Carnegie Mellon University Computer Training Program for Science Teachers.

Amaryllis Sánchez Wohlever (B.S., Micrb., '89) received her M.D. from Hershey Medical Center in 1994. She is Chief Resident, HMC Family Practice Residency Program and President, FAFPR (Florida Academy of Family Physicians, Resident's Chapter). She is married to Russell J. Wohlever, PSU Class of '89.

Michelle L. (Black) Setar (B.S., Micrb., '89) married Mark Setar (B.S., Acct., '85) and they have a four month old son, Benjamin. She currently works with Covance as a Regional Monitoring Associate within the Pittsburgh Area.

Mary Anne McLean (B.S., Bioch., '89) is a postdoc at M.R.I. Unit, National Society for Epilepsy, Chalfont St. Peter, Gerrards Cross, England.

Kevin P. Malobisky (B.S., Micrb., '89) joined Chimeric Therapies, Inc. in December, 1996, as a Clinical Affairs Manager for U.S. and European Clinical Studies. CTI is conducting phase I and II studies investigating the safety and efficacy of bone marrow and peripheral stem cell transplantations of haploidenticle matched and mismatched donors. He resides in Pipersville, PA, with his wife, Beth (Matthews) Malobisky (B.S., B LOG '89), who is a Senior Consultant for Anderson Consulting in Florhem Park, NJ.

Carol (Schubert) Greenland (B.S., Bioch., '89) has three children and is a Freelance Medical Writer/Proofreader.

'90

Danielle Pasqualone (B.S., MCB, '90) graduated with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology from Cornell University in January of 1996. She has since been awarded an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship for research in the laboratory of Dr. Barbara J. Meyer at the University of California, Berkeley.

Jeffrey M. Gaguzis (B.S., Micrb., '90) is a Staff Medical Technologist at Allegheny General Hospital. He will soon be marrying Melissa St. Clair who is a Mac Operator/Graphic Artist with Color Concepts in Pittsburgh.

Daniel R. Tershak, Jr. (B.S., Micrb., '91) is currently a Resident in Surgery at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. He is married to Vivian Mao (PSU, Premed-Medical). Both received their M.D. in 1995 from Thomas Jefferson College of Medicine.

Jason Garrett Krupnick (B.S., MCB, '91, Bob Schlegel) recently received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology with Dr. Jeffrey L. Benovic and is currently in the Gibbon M.D./Ph.D. Program at Thomas Jefferson University. He was married to Meredith A. Good in 1996.

Dennis P. Cuddy (B.S., Micrb., '92) has been appointed to the position of Assistant Administrator of the University of Maryland Cancer Center. His responsibilities include operations of four divisions in research; coordinating overall computer services; renovations and expansion into 20,000 ft2 of new research space; coordinating an application for a Cancer Center Core Grant through the NCI.

Shane Stitzinger Eisenhower (B.S., MCB, '94) is a Research Assistant in the Department of Genetics at Case Western Reserve University. She was married to Frank Eisenhower (B.S., AE, '94) in Fall of 1996.

Bryan S. Wang (B.S., MCB, '94, Tracy Nixon) and Karen (Eisenhart) Wang (B.S., Micrb., '94, Jean Brenchley) were married in July, 1995. Bryan is a Ph.D. student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Karen is a medical student at Boston University.

Peter Emanuel (Ph.D., MCB, '94, David Gilmour) is currently with the U.S. Army Research Development and Engineering Center in Maryland. Following the successful completion of an NRC Fellowship he was appointed as Group Leader of the molecular immunology labs. He also has a baby girl named Isabel.

Jessica Stehr (B.S., MCB, '94; M.S., Genetics, '94; Diana Cox-Foster) is currently a joint VMD/MBA student at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine and Wharton School of Business.

Alison K. (Schlegel) Bauer (B.S., Bioch., '94) is a Pharmacology graduate student at the University of Colorado Health Science Center in Denver. She is doing her thesis research on the role of chronic inflammation in mouse lung tumorgenesis.

Kathy (Reed) Cattell (B.S., Micrb., '95) is currently employed as an Associate Scientist in the Biological Process Sciences Department at SmithKline Beecham, working in the Bioreactor Development Group. She married Michael Cattell in June, 1996.

Jennifer J. Hill (B.S., Bioch., '95) is attending Harvard Graduate School - MCB Department.

Hongming Zhuang (Ph.D., MCB, '95, Don Wojchowski) has decided to resume clinical work after spending 10 years doing research. He recently entered a four year residency program in pathology and laboratory medicine at Allegheny University of Health Science in Philadelphia.

Matthew E. Portnoy (B.S., MCB, '96, Frank Pugh) is currently a graduate student at the Johns Hopkins University in the School of Hygiene and Public Health's Department of Biochemistry. He is engaged to Lisa J. Finkelman (B.S., WFS, '96) who is employed at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.

Amy Wormington (B.S., MCB, '96, Diana Cox-Foster) is currently pursuing an M.D. at The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. This past summer she did research in pediatric neurology on x-inactivation patterns in Rett Syndrome.

Bridget A. Donohue (B.S., MCB, '96) is a Chemical Technician's Assistant with Rohm and Haas. She is beginning a Master's Program as a Satellite Student of Lehigh University. Bridget is aiming to get her Master's in Organic Chemistry and also possibly Molecular Biology.

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