Current News & Announcements
Older news articles can be found here.
2009-11-05
EUREKA award to Chet Moritz and Philip Horner
Chet Moritz (Department of Physiology & Biophysics) and Philip Horner (Department of Neurological Surgery) have received a EUREKA award from the National Institutes of Health to develop a novel method of directing regeneration within the nervous system. The team will use targeted electrical stimulation to guide transplanted stem cells to form appropriate connections and repair damaged neural circuits. If successful, this approach could be used to treat patients suffering from central nervous system damage such as traumatic brain injury, stroke, or spinal cord injury.
EUREKA grants are awarded for highly innovative research that promise big scientific payoffs. Since the inception of the EUREKA program in 2008, fewer than 100 of these grants have been awarded. This grant to Moritz and Horner is only the 3rd received by scientists at the University of Washington.
2009-10-20
2009 Physiology & Biophysics Retreat
The Department held its annual retreat, officially known as the HD Patton Symposium, at the Sleeping Lady Resort in the Cascade Mountains on September 16 and 17. The event features scientific presentations by faculty members and a poster session in which graduate students and postdoctoral fellows report their latest findings. The "Outstanding Poster Award" this year was shared by Charles Hass (Horwitz lab) and Anne Carlson (Zagotta lab).
For photos of the retreat, click here.
Thank you to our photographers Stan Froehner and Jon Cimuchowski!
2009-08-21
Department ranks 3rd in the US in grant support
According to a study comparing physiology departments nationwide, the Department of Physiology & Biophysics ranked 3rd in total research grant awards in 2008 (the latest data available). This ranking is up from 4th last year. Despite the extremely poor funding environment, grant money awarded to PBIO scientists increased 12% compared to the previous year. This analysis takes in account research funding from all sources.
2009-08-21
Jane Sullivan named to Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives
Jane Sullivan, associate professor of Physiology & Biophysics, has been appointed a member of the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives. The Dana Alliance is committed to advancing public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research and to disseminating information on the brain in an understandable and accessible fashion. One of DABI’s best known activities is organizing the annual Brain Awareness Week, an international event aimed at increasing public understanding of the brain and brain research.
2009-08-21
Ed Rubel's research featured in the Wall Street Journal
Research on hair cell regeneration in zebrafish, a collaborative study between the laboratories of Ed Rubel and David Raible (Department of Biological Structure), was featured in the Wall Street Journal.
2009-07-13
Mike Shadlen wins Spencer Award
Michael N. Shadlen, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Physiology & Biophysics and HHMI Investigator, has received the 2009 W. Alden Spencer Award. The Spencer Award is given each year by the Department of Neuroscience at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, and The Kavli Institute for Brain Science to an investigator in recognition of outstanding research contributions in Neural Science.
Dr. Shadlen's research elucidates the neural mechanisms that underlie decision-making. By combining neural recording with behavioral testing and computational modeling, he has begun to ascertain how the brain reasons from evidence, deliberates and forms beliefs. Dr. Shadlen will receive the award and present a lecture on The Neurobiology of Decision Making: A Window on Cognition, on September 29, 2009 at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
2009-05-14
Shadlen lab publishes Science paper: Decision making and judgment
http://uwnews.org/article.asp?articleID=49482
2009-04-09
Linda Wordeman awarded Guggenheim Fellowship
Linda Wordeman, professor of Physiology & Biophysics, has been named a 2009 Guggenheim Fellow. Guggenheim Fellows are appointed on the basis of stellar achievement and exceptional promise for continued accomplishment. One of the hallmarks of the Guggenheim Fellowship program is the diversity of its Fellows. This year’s class includes authors, historians, performance artists, photographers, musicians, poets, mathematicians and scientists. In the 2009 US & Canada competition, 180 new Fellows were selected from approximately 3000 applicants.
Linda will use her fellowship to study the fundamental mechanisms underlying chromosome segregation and cancer development by developing new probes to image the dynamic chromosome movements in live echinoderm eggs. Part of the research will be conducted at Friday Harbor Marine Laboratories.
2009-03-20
Dedication of the Thelma Temy Kennedy conference room
Thelma “Temy” Kennedy Berner, professor emeritus of physiology and biophysics and one of the first tenured women faculty at the UW School of Medicine, died on Jan. 10 at the age of 83. She was honored this month by the Department of Physiology and Biophysics.
After receiving a doctoral degree from the University of Chicago in 1955, Kennedy was admitted to the then-new postdoctoral program in physiology and biophysics at the UW in 1956 and joined the faculty of that department in 1957. She remained in the department until her retirement in 1988. Kennedy was the graduate program advisor throughout her tenure in the department and headed the department's postdoctoral neurophysiology training program. Her own research dealt primarily with the cerebral and cerebellar cortices.
In 1969 she was appointed associate dean of the UW graduate school, to that date the highest administrative appointment for a woman in the UW's history. She also played an active role on campus with respect to women's issues and served on the UW Women's Council, an advisory body to the provost on opportunities for UW women in employment, education, and extracurricular activities in accordance with federal and state affirmative action guidelines.
In 1972 she returned to her home department, Physiology and Biophysics. Upon the retirement of the chair, Harry Patton, she became acting chair until the appointment of Wayne Crill in 1983.
In addition to her university service, Kennedy served on several national committees, including the Experimental Psychology and Biopsychology Study Sections of the National Institutes of Health, the Veteran's Administration Merit Review Board in Neurobiology, and the evaluation team of the Western Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities.
Kennedy was married for 45 years to Richard Berner, former University Archivist, and together they explored the mountains and trails of the Pacific Northwest and enjoyed good food and music.
The Department of Physiology & Biophysics has established the Thelma Temy Kennedy Endowment, and has named a new conference room in her honor. A dedication of the Kennedy Conference Room and a celebration of Kennedy's life and contributions to the UW was held on March 16 at the UW Health Sciences Center. [see photos]
Contributions in Kennedy's memory may be made to the UW Foundation, Thelma Temy Kennedy fund, UW Advancement, Univ. of Wash. Box 358045, Seattle 98195-8045.
2009-03-10
Adrienne Fairhall honored with the Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award by the Biophysical Society
Adrienne Fairhall, assistant professor of Physiology & Biophysics, was one of three women awarded the Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award at the annual meeting of the Biophysical Society. The Dayhoff Award is given to a woman who holds very high promise or has achieved prominence while developing the early stages of a career in biophysical research within the purview and interest of the Biophysical Society. Dr. Fairhall was recognized for “her excellent work in the field of adaptation in neural codes and leadership in advancing training in computational neuroscience”.
See also: 2009 Award Recipients Named By Biophysical Society
2009-03-05
Chip Asbury highlighted on Cell's website
Chip Asbury was recently interviewed by the journal Cell about a new paper that came out of his lab, and both the interview and a video from the paper are currently highlighted on the cell.com homepage.
"Lara Szewczak speaks with Dr. Charles Asbury about how a kinetochore component, the Ndc80 complex, can remain attached in vitro to dynamic microtubules while bearing a load comparable to a chromosome. Tune in to learn how Ndc80 gets a grip and keeps it."
More on the paper can be found at uwnews.org: "Single molecule tracking helps reveal mechanism of chromosome separation in dividing cells".
2009-02-02
New Graduate Student Lounge
The recent renovation of the PBIO department provided the opportunity to provide a new lounge for graduate students. The new room, located on the 4th floor of the H-wing, is substantially larger than the old lounge and has windows that provide a much more pleasant setting.
Jon Cimuchowski (graduate program coordinator) and Stan Froehner (department chair) hosted an inaugural pizza lunch as the first formal event held in the lounge. The new space will provide a place for first year students to call home. It will be available for all graduate students in the department to hang out.
2009-01-31
Eight graduate students awarded PhD in Physiology & Biophysics in 2008
2008 was a banner year for students earning the PhD in Physiology & Biophysics. Eight students completed their research, and defended their theses last year. Congratulations to our new PhDs!
Jeremy Cooper did his research on “Dynamic in vitro characterization of the microtubule depolymerase, MCAK” in the Wordeman lab. Jeremy’s work was published in a series of 4 papers, including one in the Journal of Cell Biology. He will stay on in the Wordeman lab as postdoctoral fellow.
MacKenzie Howard studied the “Mechanisms andå Function of Depolarizing Inhibition in The Avian Cochlear Nucleus” in the Rubel laboratory. His doctoral research, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, was supported by an NRSA fellowship from the NIH. MacKenzie is currently a postdoctoral fellow at UCSF in Roger Nicoll’s lab.
Jill Jensen did her thesis research in the Hille lab on “FRET Reveals Kinetic Steps of Receptor-Mediated Modulation of PIP2 and Kv7 K+ Current”. As a graduate student, Jill’s poster to the 52nd Annual Meeting of Biophysical Society in 2008 received the Biophysical Society Student Research Achievement Award in Biological Fluorescence. Jill will continue as a postdoctoral fellow in the Hille lab.
Brian Lundstrom, an MSTP MD/PhD student, did his thesis research in the Fairhall lab on “The Response of Single Neurons to Varying Stimulus Statistics”. Brian published a paper in Nature Neuroscience in 2008, which was the topic of a profile of Dr Fairhall in an upcoming Burroughs-Wellcome publication. He was awarded a Human Frontiers short-term fellowship to work in a lab in Spain, and, when he returns, will continue for a few months in the Fairhall lab as a postdoctoral fellow before returning to medical school.
Heather Dungan Lemko’s thesis was entitled “The Role of Kisspeptin and Neurotensin Signaling in the Central Regulation of Gonadotropin Secretion.” As a graduate student in the Steiner lab, Heather published two original, peer-reviewed papers as first author, one in the Journal of Neuroscience and the other in the American Journal of Physiology. She was the first author on a review paper, published in Endocrinology, and she was a coauthor another original paper published in Endocrinology. She made 6 presentations of her scientific work at national/international meetings. Heather was the recipient of the 2007 Anthony Means Basic Science Award of the Endocrine Society for her work on kisspeptin. Heather has joined Dr. Joel Elmquist's lab at the University of Texas Southwestern, in Dallas, as a postdoctoral fellow.
Nadiya Postupna’s work in the Anderson laboratory produced a thesis on “Bursting and Oscillations in the Thalamus of Normal and Parkinsonian Monkey”. Nadiya published two papers, one on the therapeutic mechanisms of high frequency deep brain stimulation.
Kathleen Rankin did her PhD research in the Wordeman lab on “Microtubule Stability and the Cell Cortex: The Role of MCAK in Microtubule-Cortex Interactions”. She is co-author on two papers with more to come. Kathleen is now a postdoctoral fellow at the Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg.
Michelle Steen studied the role of NPC1 in a mouse model of muscular dystrophy as a graduate student in the Froehner lab. In 2007, Michelle’s poster presentation was selected as a Prizewinner at the annual World Muscle Society Congress held in Naxos-Giardini, Sicily. She also received a travel award to attend the conference. Michelle’s research on “Attenuation of Muscular Dystrophy by Transgenic Expression of Niemann-Pick C1” was published recently in Molecular Biology of the Cell. She also co-authored a review that appeared in Trends in Neuroscience. Michelle is currently on family leave.
2009-01-12
Research by Eb Fetz, Chet Moritz and Steve Perlmutter among Nature magazine’s top articles from 2008
A research study published by Eb Fetz, Chet Moritz and Steve Perlmutter was among those selected by Nature editors as their top articles and research highlights from 2008. The paper was one of only 19 Nature articles, and 22 from other journals, chosen as some of the best research from 2008 in a wide range of fields from economics to astrophysics.
The research team of Chet Moritz, Steve Perlmutter, and Eberhard Fetz, all of the Department of Physiology & Biophysics and the Washington National Primate Research Center, was recognized for their work on brain-computer interfaces. The team designed an artificial connection between brain cells and muscles that was able to stimulate paralyzed muscles and restore movement. The study, originally published in Nature in October, 2008, was one of the first of its kind to use signals from the motor cortex, the part of the brain that controls movement. Scientists hope that the research could help them develop ways to re-route brain signals around damaged nerves as a way to treat spinal cord injuries and restore movement to paralyzed limbs. The work was featured in a UW press release, available here.
At the time of publication, the work received broad attention in the press, including an interview of Chet Moritz by NBC Nightly News.
2009-01-11
Adrienne Fairhall presents Science in Medicine Lecture
Adrienne Fairhall, assistant professor of Physiology & Biophysics, presented the 2008 Science in Medicine lecture in December. She discussed her group’s research on "Representing a complex world: How neurons encode information". The lecture series features faculty members at the School of Medicine whose research is deemed to be leading edge and of broad interest.
2008-10-10
2008 Physiology & Biophysics Retreat
The Department held its annual retreat, officially known as the HD Patton Symposium, at the Sleeping Lady Resort in the Cascade Mountains on September 17 and 18. The event features scientific presentations by faculty members and a poster session in which graduate students and postdoctoral fellows report their latest findings. The "Outstanding Poster Award" this year was shared by Sarah Domnitz (Wordeman lab) and Andy Powers (Asbury lab).
In addition to science discussion and social time, the graduate students also present a skit, revealing their true impressions of the faculty, all in good spirit.
For photos of the retreat, click here.
2008-10-06
Marilyne Cunnington honored for 30 years of service
Marilyne Cunnington was honored recently at the PBIO Happy Hour for 30 years of service as a valued employee of the Department of Physiology & Biophysics. During that time, Marilyne has met literally hundreds of students, postdocs, staff, delivery people, visitors and faculty (including 3 department chairs). She knows them all by name and always greets everyone with a smile.
Congratulations, Marilyne!
2008-09-16
Jane Sullivan and Fred Rieke receive promotions
Two PBio faculty members have been promoted, effective July 1, 2008.
Jane Sullivan has been promoted to Associate Professor of Physiology & Biophysics (tenured). Jane’s lab studies synaptic transmission and the role of Aβ, a protein linked to Alzheimer’s Disease, on this process.
Fred Rieke has been promoted to Professor of Physiology & Biophysics. Appointed an HHMI investigator in 2005, Fred’s lab studies biophysical mechanisms of retinal function.
Congratulations, Jane and Fred!
2008-09-15
Jon Cimuchowski receives Service Excellence Award
Jon Cimuchowski, Manager of Program Operations in Physiology & Biophysics, has received the UW School of Medicine Service Excellence Award. The award is given to two staff members every quarter who exemplify outstanding service. Jon was nominated for this award by faculty members and received supporting letters from staff, students and postdocs. In addition to serving as graduate program manager, Jon provides invaluable assistance with graduate and medical courses, administers the PBio seminar program, and generally fills in whenever his help is needed, always with efficiency and a sense of humor.
The award was presented by Larry Robinson, Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs, at a surprise reception attended by many members of the department. [more photos here]
Congratulations, Jon!
2008-06-12
Bertil Hille receives honorary doctorate from Rockefeller University
Bertil Hille, the Wayne E. Crill Professor of Physiology & Biophysics, is one of three alumni of the Rockefeller University to be honored with the doctor of science, honoris causa at the 50th commencement ceremony.
“Since the first graduating class, nearly 1,000 scientists have begun their careers at The Rockefeller University and many of them have gone on to take leadership positions at research institutions around the world,” says President Paul Nurse. “This year’s graduating class follows in their footsteps, and we are pleased to honor Gerald Edelman, Nina Fedoroff and Bertil Hille as representatives of our alumni’s exemplary contributions to science.”
Congratulations, Bertil!
Paul Nurse, president of the Rockefeller University presents Bertil Hille with honorary doctorate degree
2008-06-12
Department ranks 4th in nation in research grant funding
Each year, the ACDP collects research funding and other data from Departments of Physiology across the US and then reports rankings, based on several criteria. This survey is the only one that takes into account all research funding, including HHMI. The 2007 ACDP survey has just been published and I am very pleased to tell you that, of the 73 Physiology departments responding, our department ranks 4th in the nation in total research grant funding. This is the highest ranking we have achieved in recent years. Congratulations to everyone in the department - staff, students, postdocs and faculty - for your contributions in making our research program highly successful.
More information provided in the ACDP survey can be found here.
2008-06-12
Rachel Wilson presents 2008 Crill Lecture
Rachel Wilson, assistant professor of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School, presented the 8th annual Wayne E. Crill Graduate Research Lecture. Dr. Wilson presented her work on Olfactory Processing in the Drosophila Antennal Lobe. After the lecture, a celebratory dinner attended by departmental graduate students, their mentors, and other honored guests was held at Ponti’s restaurant.
Funded by the Crill Endowment, this lectureship which honors Wayne Crill, chair of the Department of Physiology & Biophysics from 1983-1999, for his commitment and contributions to graduate education in the Department and recognizes graduate students conducting research in laboratories of the Department of Physiology & Biophysics and their faculty mentors. The Crill Lecturer is selected by a committee of graduate students, in consultation with the Crill Endowment Director, Albert Berger.
2008-05-22
Greg Horwitz receives McKnight Scholar Award
Greg Horwitz, assistant professor of Physiology & Biophysics and core staff member of the Washington National Primate Research Center, has been named a 2008 McKnight Scholar Award recipient. He is one of seven early career scientists to receive support for innovative research in neuroscience. The 3-year award will support Greg’s studies on the neural basis of color vision. His laboratory uses a combination of electrophysiological, psychophysical and computational approaches to understand how visual pathways in the brain interact to enhance color perception.
Greg joined the UW in 2007, following postdoctoral research at the Salk Institute. He received his undergraduate training in computational neuroscience at Harvard and a PhD in neuroscience at Stanford. Greg is the sixth member of the Department of Physiology & Biophysics to be named a McKnight Scholar.
2008-05-19
Bill Zagotta snags foul ball at Mariners game
Bill Zagotta, Professor of Physiology & Biophysics and HHMI Investigator, caught his first foul ball ever at a Mariners’ game at Safeco Field on May 9. Bill and his wife, Sue Black, are faithful Mariners fans and have attended hundreds of games.
The Mariners lost to the Chicago White Sox 4-2.
2008-05-19
Fred Rieke and Jane Sullivan promoted
The promotion of two PBIO faculty members has been approved by Mark Emmert, president of the University of Washington, effective July 1, 2008. Fred Rieke will be promoted to Professor of Physiology & Biophysics. Jane Sullivan will be promoted to Associate Professor (tenured).
Congratulations, Fred and Jane!
2008-04-30
Linda Buck elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Linda Buck, affiliate professor of Physiology & Biophysics and member of the Basic Sciences Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, is one of 190 new fellows elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. She was recognized for her pioneering studies that clarified how the olfactory system works. Linda has received numerous other awards, including the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Stephen Lisberger, who received his PhD in our department and is now Professor of Physiology at UCSF, was also elected to the 2008 AAAS class. Bertil Hille has been a member of the AAAS since 1998.
See also: Linda Buck elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2008-04-30
Roberto Malinow presents 18th Annual Einar Hille Memorial Lecture in Neurosciences
Roberto Malinow, the Shiley-Marcos Endowed Chair in Alzheimer’s Disease at UC San Diego, presented the 2008 Hille Lecture. Dr. Malinow studies synaptic plasticity and is cited for discovering silent synapses, showing that trafficking of AMPA receptors is involved in LTP and demonstrating that Amyloid Precursor Protein processing alters synaptic function.
The Hille Lecture honors Professor Einar Hille, an internationally renowned mathematician who spent most of his academic career at Yale. The Hille Lecture was established in 1989 by a generous gift to the Department of Physiology & Biophysics by the late Mrs. Kirsti Hille in honor of her husband.
See also: Alzheimer's disease expert to present Hille Lecture April 22
2008-04-24
Science Thursday for construction workers featured in the Seattle PI and University Week
Science Thursday was initiated to inform the construction workers on the H/G wing renovation project about the research that will be done in the laboratories that they are renovating. Last week, Science Thursday was featured in an article in the Seattle PI. Jane Sullivan discussed her research on Alzheimer’s Disease. Other speakers in this series have included Stan Froehner and Chip Asbury.
Also, see "Construction workers take science breaks" published in the April 24th edition of University Week.
2008-04-04
Albert Fuchs presents Bárány Society Plenary Lecture
Albert Fuchs, professor of Physiology & Biophysics and Core Staff member of the Washington National Primate Research Center, presented the plenary lecture at the XXV Bárány Society Meeting held in Kyoto, Japan. Albert discussed his research on "Saccade Adaptation and the Oculomotor Cerebellum".
The Bárány Society was founded in 1960 in honor of the late Robert Bárány who was professor at the University of Uppsala, Sweden. Bárány Society conferences have been held since 1960. In 2002, the Bárány Conference met in Seattle.
2008-04-03
Collages by Eb Fetz featured on Journal of Physiology Paris covers
2008-03-14
Rubel Lab screens for drugs that protect against hearing loss
From the University of Washington Office of News and Information - Zebrafish provide useful screening tool for genes, compounds that protect against hearing loss
2008-02-06
Wordeman Lab sweeps CellDance 2007 awards at ASCB
Two members of the Wordeman laboratory, Jason Stumpff (postdoctoral fellow) and Kathleen Rankin (graduate student) took First and Second place, respectively, in the 3rd Annual CellDance competition held at the American Society for Cell Biology conference. The CellDance competition is intended to open the eyes of the world to the best in visually stunning videos that highlight cell biology. Jason’s four short videos, which earned him a cash prize of $500 and complementary meeting registration, showed kinetochore movement in a HeLa cell moving through the cell cycle. Kathleen’s three videos captured anaphase spindle oscillations in HeLa cells depleted of MCAK. She received a cash prize of $300.
Their videos can be accessed from this page.
2008-02-01
Bill Zagotta honored with Kenneth S. Cole Award in Biophysics
Bill Zagotta, professor of Physiology & Biophysics and HHMI investigator, received the Kenneth S. Cole Award in Membrane Biophysics at the 2008 annual meeting of the Biophysical Society. The award recognizes Bill’s major contributions to research in the area of membrane biophysics. Bill’s laboratory studies the structure and function of ion channels, focused on cyclic nucleotide-gated channels.
K. S. Cole was an American biophysicist whose seminal studies of the squid giant axon in the mid-1930s demonstrated that membrane conductance increased during propagation of an action potential. J. Walter Woodbury, former professor of Physiology & Biophysics, was instrumental in establishing the K. S. Cole award. Previous award recipients include Bertil Hille, who shared the award with Clay Armstrong in 1975. In addition, five former students and postdoctoral fellows of the Department of Physiology & Biophysics have received the Cole award.
2008-02-01
Arriving at neuroscience via physics
A conversation with Adrienne Fairhall
2007-12-27
2007 PBIO Holiday Party Photos
This year's PBIO holiday party was held at the home of Bertil Hille. See photos of the festivities here.
2007-12-18
Justin Percival awarded Development Grant from Muscular Dystrophy Association
Justin Percival, a senior fellow in the Froehner laboratory, has been awarded a Development Grant from the Muscular Dystrophy Association for his studies on the role on neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in muscle degeneration in the mdx mouse, an animal model for human Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The grant is intended to aid senior postdocs in their transition to independent investigators. Dr. Percival’s research is focused on a form of nNOS that may regulate trafficking of proteins to the muscle membrane.
2007-11-16
Charles Zuker presents 2007 Lamport Lecture
Charles Zuker, Distiguished Professor of Biology and HHMI Investigator at UC San Diego, presented the 27th annual Lamport Lecture. Dr. Zuker is renowned for his studies of sensory systems, focusing on vision, mechanosensory and, most recently, mammalian taste. His lecture on "The receptors, cells and coding logic for mammalian taste" presented new results on the ability of taste receptors in the tongue to distinguish among salt, sour, sweet and umami sensations.
The lecture, one of three endowed lectureships sponsored by the Department, is named for Harold Lamport, a physician who had broad interests in the application of mathematics and physics to medicine. He was an expert in blood circulation and held faculty positions at Columbia and Yale, before becoming professor of Physiology & Biophysics at Mt Sinai, a post he held until his death in 1975. Lamport was a true Renaissance man, publishing prolifically in science, finance, drama, literature, population control and ecology. Several universities throughout the world have lectureships named in his honor.
2007-11-16
Fernando Santana named Established Investigator of the American Heart Association
Fernando Santana, associate professor of Physiology & Biophysics, has been named an Established Investigator of the American Heart Association. The award, one of 25 EIs given by AHA this year, is intended to support mid-term investigators in a rapid career growth phase with unusual promise, a commitment to studies of the cardiovascular system and an established record of accomplishments. The 5 year award of approximately $500,000 will support Dr. Santana's research on the function of calcium channels in vascular smooth muscle and their role in hypertension.
2007-10-31
Adrienne Fairhall receives Career Development Award from Society for Neuroscience
Adrienne Fairhall, assistant professor of Physiology & Biophysics, has been selected to receive the 2007 Society for Neuroscience Career Development award. The award recognizes early career stage neuroscientists who "have already published substantial contributions to science.... and show indications of leadership in ideas, organization or in other ways manifest for her colleagues within the scientific community". Dr. Fairhall will be honored at the Committee for Women in Neuroscience (C-WIN) awards ceremony at the SfN annual meeting next week in San Diego.
2007-09-17
Jonathan Ting and Hiro Watari receive Next Generation Award from Society for Neuroscience
Two PhD students in the Sullivan lab, Jonathan Ting and Hiro Watari, will receive the first ever SfN “Next Generation Award” for their work in establishing the Neurobiology & Behavior Community Outreach student organization at the UW. They share the award with Bryan White, a graduate student in Pharmacology. Jonathan, Hiro, and Bryan were nominated by the Pacific Cascade Chapter of SfN. They will be honored for their achievement at the Society for Neuroscience Awards Reception and Social at the annual conference in San Diego. As part of the Next Generation Award, the local chapter will receive $2,000 to be used to continue the chapter's outreach efforts. In addition, each member of the team will receive a $300 honorarium.
image courtesy of Neuroscience Quarterly, Winter 2008
2007-07-25
Adrienne Fairhall named McKnight Scholar in Neuroscience
Adrienne Fairhall, assistant professor of Physiology & Biophysics, is one of seven new McKnight Scholars selected nationwide for 2007-2009. The award, given to neuroscientists in the early stages of their careers to focus on disorders of learning and memory, will support Adrienne’s research on "Intrinsic Contributions to Adaptive Computation and Gain Control."
2007-05-25
Manuel F. Navedo receives AHA Scientist Development Award
Manuel F. Navedo, a senior fellow in the Santana Lab, was awarded a Scientist Development Award from the American Heart Association for his work on Ca2+ sparklets in arterial smooth muscle. Each year the AHA gives this award to a small group of outstanding young cardiovascular scientists to help their transition toward independence. Manuel will be funded by the AHA for the next four years.
2007-04-26
Chip Asbury honored in Early Career Award Recognition Ceremony
Chip Asbury is one of five UW assistant professors selected to participate in the first Early Career Award Recognition Symposium. The symposium, sponsored by by Provost Phyllis Wise and Vice Provost for Research Mary Lidstrom is intended to give UW's rising stars a chance to shine.
Chip was named a Packard Fellow and a Searle Scholar, two highly competitive, prestigious awards for early career scientists.
See also: uweek.org "University's rising stars to shine in Early Career Award Recognition Symposium"
2007-04-09
Gail Mandel presents 2007 Hille Lecture
see Mandel to present Hille Memorial Lecture April 12, University Week, April 5, 2007
2007-04-09
UW School of Medicine ranks second in U.S. in NIH funding
see U.W. School of Medicine ranks first in U.S., University Week, April 5, 2007
2007-02-03
Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index: Department ranks in top 10 nationally
In an assessment of Faculty Scholarly Productivity conducted by the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Department of Physiology & Biophysics was ranked ninth in the nation in the discipline of physiology. Included in the analysis were 221 research universities. The productivity of faculty members was judged on three factors: number and citations of publications, federal grant dollars received, and honors and awards.
Overall, faculty scholarship in 114 disciplines was analyzed. The University of Washington received top 10 rankings in 31 disciplines, including Genetics and Microbiology (both ranked #1), Anatomy (#2), Molecular Biology (#3), Cell Biology (#4), Immunology (#9) and Neuroscience (#10). Many Physiology & Biophysics faculty members were included in the molecular biology, cell biology and neuroscience assessments.
2007-01-20
Greg Horwitz appointed assistant professor of Physiology & Biophysics
Greg Horwitz has joined the faculty as assistant professor (tenure track) and core staff member of the Washington National Primate Research Center. Greg received his undergraduate training at Harvard in computational neuroscience and his PhD in neuroscience from Stanford. Before moving to Seattle, Greg was a postdoctoral fellow at the Salk Institute where he studied color vision in non-human primates and assisted in the development of genetic techniques for reversible neuronal inactivation. He plans to continue and merge both lines of research in his new laboratory.
When he is not in the lab, Greg enjoys playing guitar, camping, and trying new foods.