Tag Archive for macqueen

MacQueen, Coolon, Mukerji Receive NIH Academic Research Enhancement Awards

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Three Wesleyan faculty recently received Academic Research Enhancement Awards (R15) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

R15 grants stimulate research at educational institutions that provide baccalaureate training for a significant number of the nation’s research scientists, but that have not been major recipients of NIH support. Awards provide funding for small-scale, new, or ongoing health-related meritorious research projects, enhancing the research environment at eligible institutions and exposing students to research opportunities.

Amy MacQueen

Amy MacQueen

Amy MacQueen, associate professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, received a $492,900 award on Aug. 7 for her research titled “How do Synaptonemal Complex Proteins Mediate the Coordinated?”

MacQueen investigates the molecular mechanisms that underlie how reproductive cells (sperm and eggs in humans and spores in yeast) form. In particular, she focuses on how the genetic material (DNA)—which is packaged into chromosomes—is evenly distributed during the cell division cycle (meiosis) that gives rise to reproductive cells.

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MacQueen Wins Grant from NIH for Synaptonemal Complex Research

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Amy MacQueen, assistant professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, has received a three-year grant for $372,445 from the National Institutes of Health Academic Research Enhancement Award program to support her research on “Structure and Dynamics of the Synaptonemal Complex.” The grant was awarded in August 2013.

MacQueen Lab’s Research Published in PLOS Genetics

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Amy MacQueen, assistant professor of molecular biology and biochemistry; Karen Voelkel Meiman, research associate; and Sarah Moustafa BA’11, MA’12 are co-authors of the paper, “Full-Length Synaptonemal Complex Grows Continuously during Meiotic Prophase in Budding Yeast,” published by PLOS Genetics, Oct. 11, 2012. Moustafa worked on the paper as an undergraduate researcher and again as a BA/MA student. An abstract and the  paper is online here.

MB&B Department Attends Yeast Genetics Meeting at Princeton

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Faculty and students from the Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Department gather at the 2012 Yeast Genetics & Molecular Biology Meeting in August.

Faculty, graduate students and recent alumni from the Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Department gather at the 2012 Yeast Genetics & Molecular Biology Meeting in August.

The Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Department sent three professors and six students to the international 2012 Yeast Genetics & Molecular Biology Meeting held at Princeton University recently, giving Wesleyan the largest per capita representation in the world.

Attending from the department were Associate Professor and Chair Michael McAlear and his graduate student, James Arnone; Assistant Professor Amy MacQueen and her graduate students Pritam Mukherjee and Lina Yisehak, and recent alumni Sarah Beatie ’12 and Louis Taylor ’12; and Associate Professor Scott Holmes and his graduate student, Rebecca Ryznar. All spoke or presented on various aspects of yeast genetics, molecular biology, mitosis and gene expression.

The meeting, sponsored by the Genetics Society of America and held July 31-Aug. 5, is the premier meeting for students, postdoctoral fellows, research staff, and principal investigators studying various aspects of eukaryotic biology in yeast.