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December 1994 Warmest Holiday Greetings to All, The Biochemistry Department had no major changes in 1994, but there was a lot of activity in many areas, as usual. Our newest professors, Brad Olwin and Clint Chappie, are quickly building their research groups and have settled into their labs and their new homes in the community. Brad and his wife, Jennifer Martin, also welcomed their second child, Katherine, into the family last December, so their lives have been quite hectic (including a recent bout of chickenpox in the children). Another milestone was celebrated in two ways this fall. Barney and Sara Axelrod both turned 80 in October and observed their 60th wedding anniversary last summer (and they say teenage marriages don't last!). Their daughter, Judy, organized a big family and friends dinner in October in their honor, and on November 11-12 the Department recognized Barney with a dinner and minisymposium. Old friends Harry Beevers, Don Carlson, Jack Dixon, and Joe Villafranca joined us to tell us what they have been doing since leaving Purdue, and Barney's current colleagues, Janusz Steczko and Wladic Minor, described the wonderful lipoxygenase structure which they have recently obtained. It was a great weekend of celebrating the career of a truly remarkable Professor and his equally remarkable wife. Congratulations are due James Forney for his well-deserved promotion to Associate Professor. Jim is an exceptionally able citizen of the department in a number of areas -1 have to remind myself constantly that he only has 24 hours in a day and can't be called on for every assignment that comes up (he never says "no"). We have had some bad luck, too. Dr. Harry Charbonneau has had persistent lower back pain for over a year. After toughing it out for almost a year, he had laser surgery on the disc in the summer. Recovery has been exceedingly slow for him with relatively good days interspersed with very bad ones. We certainly hope the progress comes faster in the next weeks. Larry Arringdale, departmental jack-of-all-trades, experienced a herniated disc last summer, too, which was severe enough to totally disable his mobility. He had laser surgery two days after Harry. Larry's recovery has been a lot smoother, and except for the occasional twinge, he is largely back to normal (not lifting those heavy instruments, though). Our sponsored lectureships continue to pay big educational dividends. In April Dr. Arthur Kornberg of Stanford University, 1959 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, delivered the Axelrod Lectures. The first, a nhilosophical and historical look at "Understanding Medicine as Chemistry," traced the major events in our field during the Twentieth Century from what Prof. Kornberg called "microbe hunters" and "vitamin hunters" to the intense focus now on molecular neurobiology, the "head hunters." It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to hear the perspective of a scientist who has been the leader of our field for over four decades. In his second lecture Dr. Kornberg discussed polyphosphates in biology, a subject he has thought about since the 1940's. We had two Beach Lectures in 1994. In March Dr. Edwin Krebs of the University of Washington, 1992 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, took us through his career studies of the protein phosphorylation m biological signalling and control. In October Dr. Yasuyuki Yamada of Kyoto University described his work on alkaloid biosynthesis in plants with the objective of employing the biosynthetic pathways to produce useful pharmacological agents. As you can see from this short synopsis, the sponsored lectures allow us to bring in top scientists from around the world to interact directly with our students. These are crucial educational enrichment events to stimulate the thinking and imagination of our students. The department continues to be successful in attracting grant funds, but it is becoming more and more difficult. Since State funding has also decreased in recent years, there have been some stresses on the departmental budget. I am most grateful for the hard work and excellent science that is being performed in our labs; it is the key to the success of the department. I am also grateful for the community spirit that pervades the department, students, staff, and faculty alike. It is a very congenial place to be. Of course, you are our ambassadors to the world. Your professional successes are our rewards as educators, and we love to hear about them. Please let us know about your promotions, jobs, and significant events in your lives. We also ask that you tell promising young people with whom you have contact about the opportunity to study biochemistry at Purdue. Fewer students are entering science these days, so our recruiting efforts have to be increased continually. Your help is most appreciated on this, and to be honest, it is more effective than anything we can do from campus. Finally, thanks for your generosity. Your gifts to the department are essential to provide funds for recruiting, receptions for seminar speakers, and a host of other items for which other sources of funds are not available. Almost all funds that come into the department are restricted; your gifts give us a large part of our "flexible" monies. I remind those of you that live in Indiana that 1/2 of the first $400.00 given by a couple to Purdue is deducted directly from your State income taxes. Coupled with the Federal deduction, that makes a $400 gift possible for a net investment by you of around $150.00. Make your checks payable to "Purdue Foundation" with a letter clearly designating it to Biochemistry (or the Axelrod Lectures, if you so desire). Don't forget the corporate match if you work for a company with such a program. I send greetings from all your friends in the Department of Biochemistry and most sincere good wishes for a happy and successful 1995. Warmest regards, Mark Hermodson
Object Description
Purdue Identification Number | PSD00001967 |
Title | Biochemistry holiday newsletter, 1994 |
Description | Purdue University Biochemistry Department newsletter; cover letter by Mark Hermodson |
Date of Original | 1994 |
Subjects |
Purdue University. Dept. of Biochemistry Biochemists |
Genre (TGM) | Periodicals |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries, Karnes Archives and Special Collections |
Creators | Hermodson, Mark |
Type | text |
Format | JP2 |
Language | eng |
Collection | Purdue Colleges and Departments |
College | College of Agriculture |
Department | Biochemistry |
Rights Statement | Copyright Purdue University. All rights reserved. |
Capture Device | Epson Expression 10000XL Photo Scanner |
Capture Details | SilverFast Ai v.6.4.1r8c by LaserSoft |
Date Digitized | 2007-07-03 |
Resolution | 600 ppi |
Color Depth | 24 bit |
Color Management | Monaco Ezcolor using an IT8 target |
Description
Title | Page 1 |
Transcript | December 1994 Warmest Holiday Greetings to All, The Biochemistry Department had no major changes in 1994, but there was a lot of activity in many areas, as usual. Our newest professors, Brad Olwin and Clint Chappie, are quickly building their research groups and have settled into their labs and their new homes in the community. Brad and his wife, Jennifer Martin, also welcomed their second child, Katherine, into the family last December, so their lives have been quite hectic (including a recent bout of chickenpox in the children). Another milestone was celebrated in two ways this fall. Barney and Sara Axelrod both turned 80 in October and observed their 60th wedding anniversary last summer (and they say teenage marriages don't last!). Their daughter, Judy, organized a big family and friends dinner in October in their honor, and on November 11-12 the Department recognized Barney with a dinner and minisymposium. Old friends Harry Beevers, Don Carlson, Jack Dixon, and Joe Villafranca joined us to tell us what they have been doing since leaving Purdue, and Barney's current colleagues, Janusz Steczko and Wladic Minor, described the wonderful lipoxygenase structure which they have recently obtained. It was a great weekend of celebrating the career of a truly remarkable Professor and his equally remarkable wife. Congratulations are due James Forney for his well-deserved promotion to Associate Professor. Jim is an exceptionally able citizen of the department in a number of areas -1 have to remind myself constantly that he only has 24 hours in a day and can't be called on for every assignment that comes up (he never says "no"). We have had some bad luck, too. Dr. Harry Charbonneau has had persistent lower back pain for over a year. After toughing it out for almost a year, he had laser surgery on the disc in the summer. Recovery has been exceedingly slow for him with relatively good days interspersed with very bad ones. We certainly hope the progress comes faster in the next weeks. Larry Arringdale, departmental jack-of-all-trades, experienced a herniated disc last summer, too, which was severe enough to totally disable his mobility. He had laser surgery two days after Harry. Larry's recovery has been a lot smoother, and except for the occasional twinge, he is largely back to normal (not lifting those heavy instruments, though). Our sponsored lectureships continue to pay big educational dividends. In April Dr. Arthur Kornberg of Stanford University, 1959 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, delivered the Axelrod Lectures. The first, a nhilosophical and historical look at "Understanding Medicine as Chemistry," traced the major events in our field during the Twentieth Century from what Prof. Kornberg called "microbe hunters" and "vitamin hunters" to the intense focus now on molecular neurobiology, the "head hunters." It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to hear the perspective of a scientist who has been the leader of our field for over four decades. In his second lecture Dr. Kornberg discussed polyphosphates in biology, a subject he has thought about since the 1940's. We had two Beach Lectures in 1994. In March Dr. Edwin Krebs of the University of Washington, 1992 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, took us through his career studies of the protein phosphorylation m biological signalling and control. In October Dr. Yasuyuki Yamada of Kyoto University described his work on alkaloid biosynthesis in plants with the objective of employing the biosynthetic pathways to produce useful pharmacological agents. As you can see from this short synopsis, the sponsored lectures allow us to bring in top scientists from around the world to interact directly with our students. These are crucial educational enrichment events to stimulate the thinking and imagination of our students. The department continues to be successful in attracting grant funds, but it is becoming more and more difficult. Since State funding has also decreased in recent years, there have been some stresses on the departmental budget. I am most grateful for the hard work and excellent science that is being performed in our labs; it is the key to the success of the department. I am also grateful for the community spirit that pervades the department, students, staff, and faculty alike. It is a very congenial place to be. Of course, you are our ambassadors to the world. Your professional successes are our rewards as educators, and we love to hear about them. Please let us know about your promotions, jobs, and significant events in your lives. We also ask that you tell promising young people with whom you have contact about the opportunity to study biochemistry at Purdue. Fewer students are entering science these days, so our recruiting efforts have to be increased continually. Your help is most appreciated on this, and to be honest, it is more effective than anything we can do from campus. Finally, thanks for your generosity. Your gifts to the department are essential to provide funds for recruiting, receptions for seminar speakers, and a host of other items for which other sources of funds are not available. Almost all funds that come into the department are restricted; your gifts give us a large part of our "flexible" monies. I remind those of you that live in Indiana that 1/2 of the first $400.00 given by a couple to Purdue is deducted directly from your State income taxes. Coupled with the Federal deduction, that makes a $400 gift possible for a net investment by you of around $150.00. Make your checks payable to "Purdue Foundation" with a letter clearly designating it to Biochemistry (or the Axelrod Lectures, if you so desire). Don't forget the corporate match if you work for a company with such a program. I send greetings from all your friends in the Department of Biochemistry and most sincere good wishes for a happy and successful 1995. Warmest regards, Mark Hermodson |
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