From the Labs
Houston, Texas
Volume 6, Issue 5
June 2007

Briefs

Estes named to National Academy of Sciences

Mary Estes, Ph.D., professor of molecular virology and microbiology and medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, has been elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences, a private organization of scientists and engineers dedicated to furthering science and its use for the general welfare.

Estes is a leader in the field of virology and has produced groundbreaking work in the understanding and prevention of gastrointestinal viruses such as Norwalk and rotavirus. Her work has led to a new understanding of the basic biology of such viruses, including how they are controlled, interact with the organisms that host them and create disease.

Estes is co-director of a graduate program in Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine, which trains new scientists to work on the cusp between very basic science in the laboratory and the application of new findings directly to patients. She is also a member of the Institute of Medicine.

NSBRI Education and Outreach Team recognized

The Education and Outreach Team of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, headquartered at Baylor College of Medicine, received a Stellar Award from the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Foundation.

The NSBRI's science, technology and education projects take place at more than 70 institutions across the United States. The Stellar Award recognized the team's "performance as a nationally recognized, top-tier program that is pioneering new models for exemplary teaching, training and public outreach in support of the Vision for Space Exploration." The NSBRI Education and Outreach Team led by William Thomson, Ph.D., was the only education team to receive the award. The NSBRI is a NASA-funded consortium of institutions studying the health risks related to long-duration space flight.

Research Scholar Awards winner

Valerie McLin, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics, has received a 2007 American Gastroenterological Association Foundation Research Scholars Award for her work in "The Role of Wnt Signaling in the Development of the Visceral Mesoderm and Gastrointestinal Tract."

The Research Scholar Awards, which were given to eight gastroenterologists, offer each scientist a total award of $225,000 to help support his or her research over a three-year period. The goal of the awards is to guarantee the perpetuation of strong science through the encouragement of young physician investigators and ultimately to improve patient care through digestive diseases research.