Dear graduates and friends of Biochemistry, December 1993
After a number of years of virtually non-stop faculty recruiting, the Department of Biochemistry is again at full
strength, and the rounds of interview seminars, dinners, and receptions are over. Of course, that means the faces in the
Department have changed to a significant degree with seven of the eighteen research faculty new to the Department since
1988. Our 1988 hires, Steve Broyles and Jim Forney, have been here long enough to have fully staffed labs which are
starting to send freshly minted Ph.D. graduates into the world of science. Their programs are thriving and exciting new
results are appearing in the best journals. The class of 1991, Harry Charbonneau, Sandra Rossie, and Jonathan LeBowitz,
are attracting students and building their groups. They are a vigorous group, volunteering their services for a host of
activities for the graduate programs and research. Jon and his wife have been productive in other ways, too (see below).
Our newest faculty members joined us in August. Brad Olwin, Walther Associate Professor of Biochemistry, came
to us from the University of Wisconsin and brought a ready-made group of seven researchers with him. That group is
assimilating nicely into Purdue with one exception: this fall they remained staunchly partial to the Wisconsin football team
(for which no reasonable person could blame them this year). Brad and his group are studying the biological effects of
fibroblast growth factor, focusing particularly on the structure and function of the receptors for the hormone and their roles
in development during embryogenesis. His approaches span biochemistry, molecular biology, and cell biology.
Dr. Clinton Chappie came to us from postdoctoral studies with Chris Somerville at the DOE at Michigan State. A native
of Ontario, Clint is in the throes of getting a "green card", a process that has become unbelievably complicated. The good
side of that pain is that it has given Clint a wonderful chance to demonstrate his fabulous sense of humor and great
patience. Clint studies cell wall development in plants using a combination of metabolic studies (remember biochemical
pathways?) and plant genetic and molecular biological analyses in Arabidopsis.
Dean Thompson was selected to be President of Winrock International, an international development agency based
in the mountains northwest of Little Rock, Arkansas. Victor Lechtenberg is serving as Interim Dean as the search
progresses.
We have some proud parents - Jon LeBowitz and Sharon Spitz have a son, Jacob Andrew; Jelena Zaitseva and
Vadim Beilinson have a son, Daniel. The second annual departmental picnic was enjoyed by all at Fort Ouiatonen. This
event has been combined with awarding of the Hickory Stick and A. K. Balls Awards.
Tuajuanda Jordon-Starck (1989), her husband, Aaron, and a group of friends have established the Woodburn
Center for Cultural Studies as well as a summer enrichment program for kids, sixth through twelfth grades. Math,
science, computer science and African history are taught. They have free programs to keep the kids off the street and to
educate people about whom they are as a people and what they can do. Congratulations to Cindy Sanow, a technician in
our Animal Facility, on receiving the Technologist of the Year award from the Indiana Branch-American Asssociation for
Laboratory Animal Science. Jeffrey Brotherton (1978) and his family have returned from Zambia and he has taken a
position at the Plant and Animal Biotechnology Laboratory at the University of Illinois. Peter Kennelly (1984), at
Virginia Polytech Institute and State University, had the pleasure of introducing a class on Careers in Biochemistry. Alan
H. King (MS 1970) is Manager of Algin Research at Kelco. Renny Franceschi (1978) is Associate Professor at the
University of Michigan School of Dentistry. Daniel Hoffman (1969) is a research fellow at Abbott Laboratories. Robert
Lemmon (PD 1980) is Research Manager in Serology at Connaught Laboratories. Jose Gonzalez (1974) has a position
with Enzon Inc. at Piscataway. In this weather we are all envious of Daniel Walker (1979) who is now Vice President,
Sales and Marketing at InnoVet, Inc. in West Palm Beach. Charles Borland (MS 1959) has retired and John Emil
Halver (1950) has retired but is still active in research with postdocs. Lloyd A. Schick (MS 1968) is at Miles Laborato¬
ries, Ames Division in Elkhart. Dr. Roy L. Whistler published the 3rd Edition of "Industrial Gums" and Volume 9 of
"Methods in Carbohydrate Chemistry." Rodney Noel (1977) has been named Associate State Chemist. Joseph McCray
(1974) is Professor at Morehouse. William Dyer (1988) is now Associate Professor at Montana State University.
Franklin Berger (1974) has been named George Bunch Distinguished Professor of Science at the University of South
Carolina. Ellen Henderson (1971) Dept. of Biology, Georgetown Univ., received a Faculty Award for Women Scientists
and Engineers from NSF.
Thomas Porter (1989) is now at the Genetics Institute in Andover, MA. R. Alan Binnie (1992) moved to sunny
Arizona where he has a position at Selectide Corporation. Guoping Zhao (1990) is Director of Research at Shanghai
Promega Biological Products Ltd. Yuli Wang (1990) is now at the Univ. of Texas Med. School. Jill Zeilstra-Ryalls
(1989) is a postdoc at Univ. of Texas Medical School. Bradley Sheares (1982) was appointed Director, External Business
Development at Merck, Sharp and Dohme. Gaochao Zhou (1991) is a postdoc at the Univ. of Michigan, Dept. of
Biological Sciences. Scott Bucket (1986) is now with Parke-Davis Pharm. in Ann Arbor. John Lutton (1976) was pro¬
moted to full professor at Kenyon College. Russell McCandliss (1978) is Director of Advanced Genetics at Chemgen in
Gaithersburg. JoAnn Suzich (1983) is Director of Virology at Medimmune in Gaithersburg. Paula Brisco (MS 1993) is
moving to Madison to take a position with Promega.
Several 1993 graduates have postdoc positions - Sharon McLaughlin, Div. of Cytokine Biology, NIH; Jiing Jau
Jeng, NIAAA; Jisong Cui, University of Michigan; Ji-Ying Sze, Massachusetts General Hospital; Kenneth Frimpong,
the Salk Institute; Weiping Yang, The Scripps Research Institute, Kelly Brayton, The Onderstepoort Vet. Institute, South
Africa; Bin He, The Marjorie B. Kovler Viral Oncology Labs., in Chicago; Thomas Sweitzer, Enzymes & Cell.
Biochem. Section at NIDDK-NIH; Kang-Yell Choi, Harvard; and Charlene Barroga (1993) the Salk Institute. Joohun
Ha will remain in Ki-Han Kim's lab as a postdoc.