The Department of Microbiology and Immunology is pleased to announce that Martha Clark, a graduate student in the lab of Steve Meshnick and Carla Hand, is the 2014 G. Philip Manire Graduate Student Excellence in Research Award recipient. Martha’s doctoral research has focused on how host iron status affects Plasmodium falciparum and the susceptibility to malaria, and her dissertation defense was in March. She will be continuing research on malaria during her postdoctoral work with Manoj Duraisingh at the Harvard School of Public Health.
The Manire awards for the most significant and impressive doctoral research projects are given in memory of Dr. G. Philip Manire, a friend and mentor to many people in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology. Phil served as Chair from 1966 to 1979, years that were marked by a major growth in faculty and international recognition for molecular biology, microbiology, and immunology research at UNC. However, Phil’s most lasting professional contribution was his nurturing leadership style that cemented a spirit of collegiality and family among a department of very diverse interests and personalities.
In 2004, the Department of Microbiology & Immunology set up a trust fund in honor of Phil Manire. Started from a patent royalty, the fund was originally created as a remembrance of Phil’s contributions to the intellectual life of the department and his devotion to graduate education. The fund provides for an annual award to recognize outstanding research by a senior graduate student in the department. Nominations for the award are solicited from the faculty each Spring, and a committee evaluates the applicants based on the quality and significance of the student’s research. The award is $1000 and is considered to be the most prestigious departmental recognition of a graduate student’s research accomplishments.
Twenty-one years after his retirement, Phil passed away on November 4, 2010. Phil’s children have requested that donations in his memory be directed to this same fund as a continuing tribute to his career of commitment to graduate research and education. If you wish to contribute, you can do this online:
Navigate to https://secure.dev.unc.edu/gift/
Press “Please select a School/Unit/Program” and choose “School of Medicine”
Press “Please select a Fund” and choose “G.P. Manire Excellence in Research Award”
You can use a credit card and you will receive a receipt for your tax-deductible donation.
Thank you!