Spring issue of the BIONEWS hits the digital newsstand
Edwin Umbarger Distinguished Professor of Biology
Professor Stanton Gelvin was named the Edwin Umbarger Distinguished Professor of Biology at the Board of Trustees meeting on June 20, 2008.
Dr. Gelvin joined the Department of Biological Sciences at Purdue as an assistant professor in 1981, was promoted to associate professor in 1985, and full professor in 1991.
He has an international reputation for his work in the field of DNA transfer from the soil bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens to plant genomes. Dr. Gelvin has played a major role in developing the Agrobacterium system. This includes three main areas – the bacterium's processes, the expression of its transferred genes and the part the host plant plays in the transformation.
Purdue biologist gets boost to unravel cells' secrets
A Purdue University scientist who studies the inner working of cells has been named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, an appointment that could lead to insights into the causes of diseases such as cystic fibrosis.
Jue Chen, a structural biologist, will receive about $1.5 million a year for at least the next five years to support her and her Purdue lab as they delve into her research.
Chen is only the third person from an Indiana school to be named an investigator and the only one currently in Indiana.
The Hughes institute, a nonprofit research organization based in Chevy Chase, Md., planned to announce early today that 56 scientists from across the country, including Chen, had been chosen from among 1,070 applicants.MORE
Purdue launches EcoliHub; unites scientists and information throughout the world
Purdue University announced Wednesday (May 7) the launch of EcoliHub, a central online source for information about the bacteria Escherichia coli. Barry L. Wanner, who is leading the project, said E. coli has served as a model organism that has led to innumerable discoveries about fundamental cellular processes that are key to understanding all living cells.
"E. coli is the most deeply understood organism at the molecular level," said Wanner, who is a professor of biological sciences at Purdue. "It has great importance as a model organism. Because so many researchers have worked with E. coli, the information is spread out among many different databases and resources. The goal of EcoliHub is to make the vast information about E. coli more accessible by bringing these resources together." MORE