Penn Genome Frontiers Institute Student Award
In 2008, PGFI initiated an annual undergraduate award for two graduating seniors who have demonstrated academic excellence and conducted research genomics in the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS). Each senior is awarded $750 during the SAS graduation ceremony. Next year the award will also include SEAS (School of Engineering and Applied Science) students.
2008 Awardees
Joshua Robert Cook, C’08
BA - Biology Major with Chemistry Minor
Selected Honors and Awards
Gates Cambridge Scholarship
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship
Phi Beta Kappa
University of Pennsylvania Dean’s Endowed Research Award
Robert C. Byrd Scholarship
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Summer Clinical Internship Program participant
University of Pennsylvania Trustee Scholarship
Research: Joshua's work is on the control of a pancreas gene, PANDER, which is responsive to glucose. Most of his work is an experimental analysis of the PANDER promoter and of the role of three transcription factors which he demonstrated to bind to and activate the promoter. He used predictive programs to find the putative transcription factor binding sites in the promoter as a way of narrowing down the upstream regulatory factors involved. Joshua’s research project was done independently in Bryan Wolf's lab.
Yang J, Wong RK, Park M, Wu J, Cook JR, York DA, Deng S, Markmann J, Naji A, Wolf BA, and Gao Z (2006) Leucine Regulation of Glucokinase and ATP Synthase Sensitizes Glucose-Induced Insulin Secretion in Pancreatic β-Cells. Diabetes 55(1): 193-201.
Cook JR, Burkhardt BR, Young RA, Wolf BA (2008) “PDX-1 Binds to and Regulates the Pancreatic Derived Factor (PANDER, FAM3B) Promoter.” /BBA Gene Regulatory Mechanisms (accepted for publication) /
Future Plans: As a winner of the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, Joshua will pursue an MPhil in Clinical Biochemistry as a member of Clare College at the University of Cambridge. Upon his return to the United States, he will enter the Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD) at the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons.
Steven Hershman, C’08
BA – Biochemistry who also earned an MS in Chemistry and MS in Engineering this May.
Selected Honors and Awards
Dean's Scholar
Biochemistry Department Helix Prize
Biochemistry Department Chair’s Award
Roy and Diana Vagelos Science Challenge Award
Phi Beta Kappa
Research: Steven is first author on a 2008 sequence analysis paper from the group of Brad Johnson, School of Medicine, from work he did as a sophomore. He was the computational component for another paper where he is second author in 2007 for the research group of Wagner of SAS Biology.
Hershman SG. Chen Q. Lee JY. Kozak ML. Yue P. Wang LS. Johnson FB. Genomic distribution and functional analyses of potential G-quadruplex-forming sequences in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. [Journal Article. Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural. Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't] Nucleic Acids Research. 36(1):144-56, 2008 Jan. UI: 17999996
Bezhani S. Winter C. Hershman S. Wagner JD. Kennedy JF. Kwon CS. Pfluger J. Su Y. Wagner D. Unique, shared, and redundant roles for the Arabidopsis SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling ATPases BRAHMA and SPLAYED. [Journal Article. Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural] Plant Cell. 19(2):403-16, 2007 Feb. UI: 17293567
Future Plans: Steven was accepted by all the graduate schools to which he applied. He will enroll in the Harvard University Systems Biology PhD program in fall 2008.