RNA Catalysis Topic for Nov. 18 Hansen Chemistry Seminar
Utah State University’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry welcomes renowned scientist Scott Strobel of Yale University to campus Wednesday, Nov. 18 as guest speaker for the 2009 R. Gaurth Hansen Seminar Series.
Strobel, Henry Ford II Professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, presents “RNA Catalysis: Ribozymes, Ribosomes and Riboswitches.” He speaks at 4 p.m. in the Eccles Science Learning Center, Room 046. His talk is free and open to all.
A recognized expert on the interface between chemical and structural biology, Strobel has pioneered techniques used to study RNA activity. He employs organic synthesis and X-ray crystallography to study RNA splicing, ribosome-catalyzed peptide bond formation and RNA riboswitches.
With support from a $1 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Strobel developed a course in molecular biophysics and biochemistry for which he leads a yearly bioprospecting expedition of students to varied rainforests to explore diverse ecosystems.
Among many honors, Strobel is a recipient of the Schering Plough Research Institute Award offered by the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor.
A 1987 graduate of Brigham Young University, Strobel earned his doctorate from the California Institute of Technology. Prior to joining Yale’s faculty in 1995, he completed postdoctoral work with Nobel Prize winner Thomas R. Cech at the University of Colorado.
Strobel is the seventh annual Hansen Seminar speaker. The seminar series honors the late R. Gaurth Hansen, a USU alum who joined the university’s faculty in 1968. A nationally respected biochemist, Hansen served for 16 years as an academic vice president and as Distinguished Professor of Nutrition and Food Sciences and Chemistry/Biochemistry at Utah State. He was named USU Distinguished Professor Emeritus in 1985.
The Hansen seminar series is made possible by an endowment established by William Rutter, co-founder and former chairman of the board of the Chiron Corporation.
For more information about the seminar, contact USU’s Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at 435-797-1619.
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Contact: Scott Ensign, 435-797-3969, scott.ensign@usu.edu
Writer: Mary-Ann Muffoletto, 435-797-3517, maryann.muffoletto@usu.edu
A recognized expert on the interface between chemical and structural biology, Scott Strobel, Henry Ford II Professor at Yale University, is the 2009 R. Gaurth Hansen Seminar Series guest. He speaks Nov. 18 at USU.
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