Kenealy Receives First Robert C. Mierendorf Undergraduate Research Fellowship
Brian Kenealy has been awarded the first Robert C. Mierendorf, Jr. Undergraduate Research Fellowship at the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research. This Fellowship was established in 2006 by Dr. Mierendorf’s colleagues at Novagen (now called EMD Biosciences, Inc.), Madison, WI, in appreciation of Dr. Mierendorf’s outstanding leadership throughout his career there. Brian, a junior majoring in Molecular Biology, will carry out his research in Dr. Elaine Alarid’s laboratory. Brian’s project will focus on the role of DNA binding in the control of estrogen receptor protein stability in breast cancer.
A Milwaukee, WI native, Bob Mierendorf received a B.S. degree in Molecular Biology from UW-Madison in 1974. Fascinated by all aspects of science, Bob began his research career at the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research. He completed a PhD in Oncology under the direction of Dr. Gerald C. Mueller with his dissertation work on “Glucocorticoid Hormone Action in Friend Erythroleukemia Cells”. Bob then assumed the position of Director of Research and Development at Promega Corporation. In 1989, Bob founded, with Warren Kroeker and David Dubbell, a small biotechnology start-up company called Novagen, Inc., and served as Vice President and General Manager. Novagen was established as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pel-Freez, Inc., and specialized in the production of custom gene libraries and specialty reagents. Novagen was the first company to commercialize the pET System (developed by Dr. F. William Studier and his colleagues at Brookhaven National Laboratory), and over the next several years became a leader in protein expression systems. In January 1998 Novagen was acquired by CN Biosciences (CNBI), and Bob was named President of Novagen. The following year CNBI was acquired by Merck KGaA, and in 2003 the company officially changed its name to EMD Biosciences, Inc. Bob served as Chief Technology Officer of CNBI and EMD Biosciences. Through these many transitions, Bob was instrumental in the growth and the success of the company and the people who work there.
Thanks to Dr. Mierendorf’s colleagues at EMD Biosciences, this Fellowship will be awarded annually to an outstanding undergraduate student who is carrying out research at the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research.
Wagner Receives the First Ilse L. Riegel Travel Award
Caroline Wagner, a 4th-year graduate student in Dr. Caroline Alexander’s laboratory, has received the first Ilse L. Riegel Travel Award. Caroline, who studies breast cancer, will present her work at a Gordon Conference in California in March 2007. This award is named in honor of Dr. Ilse Riegel and was made possible through donations made in her memory. Ilse made enormous contributions to the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research for over 50 years, first as a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Gerry Mueller’s laboratory (1952-1954) and then (1954-2004) providing administrative support to the McArdle faculty and caring for thousands of graduate students, postdocs, staff, and visitors.
