URMC / Biochemistry & Biophysics / Awards

Awards

Walter S. Bloor Award

This award is named in honor of Dr. Walter Bloor, the first chairman of the Department of Biochemistry (1922-1947), who gained international recognition for his pioneering work on methods for the extraction and analysis of lipids from biological tissues. The award was established by a bequest from the Bloor estate and is presented each year to a student in the Biochemistry Program who submits the most outstanding thesis based on his/her Ph.D. research activity.

Vincent du Vigneaud Award

This award is conferred by the Office of Graduate Education at the School of Medicine and Dentistry to a graduating student from any program whose thesis is judged superior and unique in potential for stimulating and extending research in the field. The award is given in honor of Vincent du Vigneaud, (1901-1978) who received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry (formerly known as Vital Economics) in 1927 at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, studying on the sulfur component of insulin.

Faculty Teaching Award

First-year students in the Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and students in the Program in Biophysics, Structural and Computational Biology present Faculty Teaching Awards annually at the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics Awards Ceremony held on Commencement Weekend. Each year, students choose their own criteria for the award, conduct the voting process and choose a gift for the faculty members.

Wallace O. Fenn Award

Dr. Wallace Fenn was a Professor of Physiology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry from 1924 to 1961. He served as the Chairperson of the Department of Physiology from 1924 to 1959 and thereafter until his death in 1971, he was appointed by the University to the position of Distinguished University Professor of Physiology. As well, Dr. Fenn served as the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies from 1957 to 1959.

The Wallace O. Fenn Award is given annually to a graduating student judged to have performed especially meritorious research and who presented a Ph.D. thesis suitable to honor the name of Dr. Fenn.

Elena Gilde Grossfield Award

Elena Gilde Grossfield (10/28/2010 – 7/22/2011) was the second child of Dr. Alan Grossfield and Danielle Gilde. Shortly after birth, it became apparent she had a serious liver condition, diagnosed a few months later as Alagille syndrome. Tragically, Elena was injured in a fall, and died from complications of a head injury at the age of 9 months. This award, given for the best presentations by a student or postdoc at the Annual Biophysics Retreat, was created to honor her memory.

Elon Huntington Hooker Fellowship

The Elon Huntington Hooker Fellowship is a one-year dissertation fellowship for students from various fields of science whose work is primarily and clearly concerned with chemistry. The fellowships are funded by a gift from Mrs. Hooker in memory of Mr. Elon Huntington Hooker, a graduate and, for many years, a Trustee of the University. Mr. Hooker was founder of the Hooker Chemical Company and a graduate of the University of Rochester.

Appropriate candidates are full-time students who have passed their qualifying exams and are engaged in full-time research toward the dissertation.

The Messersmith Fellowship/Goodman Dissertation

The Messersmith Fellowship is a one-year fellowship for students in the pre-clinical departments of the School of Medicine and Dentistry or in Biology, Chemistry, Optics or Physics. Appropriate candidates have passed the qualifying exam and are in the process of writing their dissertations or are at least engaged in full-time research. The Fellowship provides stipend support.

The Goodman Dissertation Fellowship for 2018-2019. This award is given to the Messersmith fellowship nominee ranked 3^rd of all the nominees. The Goodman family endowed a fund to provide financial assistance to doctoral candidates in the biological or physical sciences, and this is the first year with sufficient funds to award a fellowship. The award is $18,000.

George V. Metzger Award

The George V. Metzger Award is given each year to a student completing the Ph.D. in Biophysics, who exemplifies the determination and values of George Metzger. Metzger was a Biophysics student who was diagnosed with cancer soon after he began his research project. Metzger had two thesis advisors: Paul E. Morrow, Ph.D. and George W. Casarett, Ph.D. He became more and more ill as his cancer progressed, but he showed great determination to finish his project. He finally defended his thesis in his hospital bed in December, not long before he died in January. His perseverance and determination were a strong inspiration to the whole Department and led to honoring Dr. Metzger with this award given in his name.

William F. Neuman and Margaret W. Neuman Scholarship Fund in Biophysics and Environmental Medicine

The William F. Neuman Award is presented each year for academic, scientific and personal qualities which exemplify the imagination, enthusiasm and excellence in the pursuit of scientific knowledge which were characteristic of the life of Dr. William F. Neuman.

In addition to his strong scientific reputation in the field of mineralization of bone, Dr. Neuman strongly believed that scientists should be socially active and contributors to their department, university, and society and tried hard to hire people who were not only good scientists but also, as he said good people. This spirit of working together and serving fellow students and the department has become a strong element in the selection of Neuman Award winners.

Student Seminar Award

The department student seminar awards are presented in the Fall and Spring Semesters to two students in the Biochemistry program and two students in the Biophysics program. Only students are asked to vote on their peers. The voting criteria includes scientific content, clarity of presentation and results, and the ability to answer questions.

Sayeeda Zain Travel Award

This award will be given annually in honor of Sayeeda Zain, a longtime member of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. This award will be given twice during the year, once in the spring and once in the fall.

The Sayeeda Zain Travel Award honors the distinguished career and charitable life of Dr. Sayeeda Zain. The award will be given in recognition of research excellence to support travel and related expenses associated with attendance at a scientific conference or corporate internship to gain practical experience. Special emphasis will be given to students or fellows giving presentations and to internships aimed at advancing the development of patentable applications.

Fred Sherman Award

The Fred Sherman Award is presented each year to a student in the BMB program who exemplifies the imagination, the excellence in the pursuit of scientific knowledge, and the commitment to the scientific community that were characteristic of Fred Sherman.

Fred’s ingenious studies on CYC1 in yeast, prior to DNA sequencing, allowed him to deduce the nucleotide sequence of the 5’ end of the CYC1 gene and to conclude from this, that the genetic code in eukaryotes was the same as that in bacteria. Fred Sherman initiated and, for 17 years, co-taught a course on yeast genetics and molecular biology at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories. He also chaired the Biochemistry and Biophysics department from 1982 to 1989.

To be eligible for the Fred Sherman Award, a student must have passed the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination. Any faculty member may nominate any qualified BMB student. The awards committee makes a decision based on the nominations.