2011 M.E.J. Women in Science Seminars and Oliver Smithies Nobel Symposium

"Noncoding RNAs: with a viral twist"

Scientific Lecture
TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2011 from 11:00 - 12:00 p.m.
MBRB Auditorium 2204

"Beyond Bias and Barriers: challenges for women in science"

Mentoring Lecture
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011 from 11:00 - 12:00 p.m.
MBRB Auditorium 2204

Dr. Steitz, a HHMI Investigator and Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale School of Medicine, is a leading pioneer in the world of Molecular Biology and RNA science. Dr. Steitz is best known for discovering and defining the function of small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs), which occur only in higher cells and organisms. Her group concentrates on RNPs of the nucleus, where the most famous small nuclear RNPs (snRNPs) participate in pre-mRNA splicing.  Their current efforts are aimed at understanding how splicing influences downstream events in gene expression via the exon junction complex (EJC), how splicing is linked to 3'-end formation and export, and how guide RNAs modify the snRNA components of snRNPs. Recently, they have found that 3'-end formation of histone mRNAs, which lack polyA tails, employs many of the same factors that are needed for the cleavage and polyadenylation of most mRNAs.

Dr. Steitz received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Harvard University in 1987. She joined the National Science Foundation as a Postdoctoral Fellow for two years before moving to Cambridge, England, to work as a Jane Coffin Child's Memorial Fund Fellow in the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology. In 1970, she joined the Yale University faculty, where she has been ever since. She has published extensively in top journals such as Nature and Science. Her numerous scientific and academic honors include the Gairdner Foundation International Award (2006) for which she was awarded for her discovery on the role of small nuclear RNAs in messenger RNA processing. She has also been the recipient of the National Medal of Science (1986), the Lewis S. Rosenstiel Award (2002), the FASEB Excellence in Science Award (2003) and the E.B. Wilson Medal (2005) by the ASCB and holds numerous honorary doctorates. Professor Steitz is also recognized as a role model for women in science, and has been the recipient of the Rosalind E. Franklin Award for Women in Science (2006), UNESCO-L’Oreal Award for Women in Science (2001) and the Weizmann Women and Science Award (1994). Notably, she has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1982 and a member of the National Academy of Sciences since 1983.

1^st ANNUAL POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH POSTER FORUM:

Tuesday, March 8, 2011 from 12:00 - 2:30 P.M.
MBRB Lobby

UNC’s Postdoctoral Association invites all UNC-Chapel Hill postdoctoral fellows to participate in the First Annual Postdoctoral Research Poster Forum to coincide with the inaugural Oliver Smithies Nobel Lecture Series featuring Nobel Laureate, Dr. Tom Steitz. Abstracts will be selected to showcase the diverse disciplines of research that postdoctoral fellows are engaged in at UNC-Chapel Hill. As space is limited, please note that preference will be given to those who submit early. We encourage postdoctoral scholars of all disciplines to submit an abstract and participate in these special events.

1^st ANNUAL OLIVER SMITHIES NOBEL LECTURE:

Tuesday, March 8, 2011 from 3:00 - 5:00 P.M.
MBRB Auditorium 2204

“From the Structure and Function of the Ribosome to New Antibiotics”

Plenary speaker: THOMAS A. STEITZ, Ph.D.

Dr. Thomas Steitz is Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and a HHMI Investigator at Yale University. He received his B.A. in Chemistry from Lawrence College and Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Harvard under the instructions of Nobel Laureate William Lipscomb. He then worked with Dr. David Blow in Cambridge before joining the faculty at Yale, where he has remained since. Notably, Dr. Steitz is one of three winners of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work describing the structure and function of the ribosome, the protein making factory key to the function of all life. Steitz and his group use methods of x-ray crystallography and molecular biology to establish structures and mechanisms of the proteins and nucleic acids involved in gene expression, replication, and recombination.

This inaugural symposium is made possible by Oliver Smithies, 2007 Nobel Laureate in Physiology and Excellence Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill. Dr. Smithies bequeathed his Nobel prize award to the university with the purpose of sponsoring events to highlight the importance of postdoctoral scholars, allowing them to present their research and interact with high caliber scientists.

• Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics
• Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP)
• The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
• UNC Postdoc Association (PDA)

Directions and parking for Medical Biomolecular Research Building (MBRB)