2014 Norman R. Alpert Award winner announced

Dr. Chris Berger, CMB Interim Director and Director of Graduate Education for the College of Medicine, announced the winner of the 2014 Norman R. Alpert Award at the annual Graduate Research Day for the CMB Program event held October 2, 2014. Jacqueline Leung, a graduate student in the Cellular, Molecular and Biosciences (CMB) Program at the University of Vermont won for her publication, “Identification of T. gondii Myosin Light Chain-1 as a Direct Target of TachypleginA-2, a Small-Molecule Inhibitor of Parasite Motility and Invasion.”¹

Norman R. Alpert was Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Vermont from 1966 to 1995. Dr. Alpert was an outstanding teacher, internationally renowned investigator of cardiac hypertrophy and founder of BioTek Instruments, Inc. One of Dr. Alpert’s many strengths was the mentoring young scientists. The Norman R. Alpert Research Prize was established to honor his commitment to training emerging talent in the biosciences. The prize is awarded annually for the best peer-reviewed research article by a graduate student in the Cellular, Molecular and Biosciences (CMB) Program at the University of Vermont.

CMB students and their publications are nominated by their thesis advisor or member of their thesis studies committee. Published manuscripts nominated for the prize are then evaluated for originality, technical merit, impact and creative contributions of the student by a committee consisting of the CMB director and five faculty members appointed by the director that represent the entire expanse of research investigation in the CMB Program. The prize consists of a certificate and a cash award sponsored by BioTek Instruments.

BioTek Instruments, Inc., headquartered in Winooski, VT, USA, is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture, and sale of microplate instrumentation and software. These technologies are used to aid life science research, facilitate drug discovery, provide rapid and cost-effective analysis, and enable sensitive, accurate quantification of molecules across diverse applications. BioTek espouses a “Think Possible” approach that sets the tone for fresh ideas, unsurpassed customer service and original innovations. The company is frequently honored for local accomplishments and technological innovations, including Best Places to Work in Vermont, Frost & Sullivan North American New Product Innovation Award for Workflow Solutions in Life Sciences, SelectScience’s Drug Discovery Product of the Year – Scientists' Choice Award, and a Silver Edison Award for the Cytation Cell Imaging Multi-Mode Reader.

¹ Leung JM, Tran F, Pathak RB, Poupart S, Heaslip AT, et al. (2014) Identification of T. gondii Myosin Light Chain-1 as a Direct Target of TachypleginA-2, a Small-Molecule Inhibitor of Parasite Motility and Invasion. PLoS ONE 9(6): e98056. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0098056