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2009-2010 TSS Elections:
Candidates for Office
(ballot on p. 3)
If you return
your ballot by surface mail, make sure your name
is on the outer envelope—you may use a second, unmarked
envelope placed inside the outer envelope if you wish to
maintain anonymity. If you e-mail your response,
make sure your name is in the main body of the e-mail.
Place
“TSS Election” in the subject line. Send
completed ballot as an attachment to maintain anonymity.
You must be a member in good standing of the Theobald
Smith Society to have your vote count.
The Past-president will confirm your membership status.
President-elect: (1-year term as President-elect and
1-year term as President)
Martha Beyazova
Employment history: Research Fellow, International Flavors and Fragrances, Union Beach,
N.J.; Associate Principal Scientist, Schering-Plough
Research Institute, Kenilworth, N.J.; Visiting
Investigator, Waksman Institute, Rutgers, The State
University of New Jersey; Curator, National Bank of
Industrial Microorganisms, Sofia, Bulgaria; Adjunct
Professor on the Biology Faculty, Sofia University,
Bulgaria.
Education:
Ph.D. in Biology, Biology Department, Sofia University,
Bulgaria; B.S., Microbiology Department, same
Institution.
Research and areas of
expertise:
Taste Receptors and Electrophysiology, Taste Sensory
Research; Cell Biology—Mammalian cell cultures,
cell-based assays for high-throughput screening (HTS)
and early toxicity testing; Statistical analysis and
lead identification; Scale-up of mammalian cell
cultures; Taxonomy and Phylogeny of Actinomycetes;
Classification of Micromonospora strains by rDNA and
GyrB gene sequences; Classification of Streptomyces,
Saccharothrix, and Frankia using PFGE; Bioinformatics:
GCG, PAUP, and Phylip software; Microbial Ecology—direct
detection and identification of Actinoplanetes in
environmental samples; Fermentation and strain
improvement; Isolation and cryopreservation of
organisms.
Awards:
IREX Scholarship Award, SPRI Award for Excellency.
Memberships:
U.S. Federation of Culture Collections (Treasurer,
1999-2002), Member-at-large on the Board of Directors;
Member of ASM and TSS; Society of Biomolecular Screening
(SBS).
In addition,
Dr. Beyazova is an author of peer review articles. She
is the current Secretary of TSS and has served in this
position for two years. She previously served as a TSS
Local Councilor for three years.
Seceratary: (2-year term)
Diane
Davis
Diane Davis, following
her B.S. in Foods and Nutrition (University of Delaware)
earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry (Rutgers University,
1986). She studied the functional domains of a
proteinaceous amylase inshibitor from wheat flour and
its interaction with α-amylase. After two years at home
with small children, she returned both to the classroom,
lecturing for the Department of Biochemistry and
Microbiology and Continuing Professional Education at
SEBS (School of Environmental and Biological Science),
and to the research laboratory, investigating the
biochemistry and molecular biology of green fluorescent
protein - GFP. In 1995 Diane became the Instructional
Laboratory Coordinator for General Microbiology and
Applied Microbiology at SEBS, currently with over 350
students taught annually. Her research interests
include the use of thermophilic enzymes for enhanced
cellulose degradation. Through her grantsmanship and
persistence, essential equipment has been updated and
the SEBS microbiology teaching laboratory has been
equipped with internet connected workstations, digital
imaging capabilities, a fluorescence microscope, and
enhanced capabilities for classroom demonstration and
student presentations. Diane’s passion for digital
imaging and for microscopic images in particular, fueled
the development of her web site as a learning resource
for students. This website has generated international
requests for teaching materials and images. Recently an
image from the site was published in the latest addition
of Fungal Families of the World, (CABI Press, UK
2007). As a member of the SEBS teaching faculty, her
primary classroom and research interest is pedagogy.
Diane presented an innovative exercise encouraging
integrated learning in the college teaching laboratory,
at the national ASMcue (Conference for Undergraduate
Educators) in May. For the last year she has served as
a local councilor for TSS.
Alternate National Councilor : (2-year term
as Alternate, 2-year term as Councilor)
Prakash Masurekar
Prakash S. Masurekar
received his Ph.D. (1973) and M.S. (1968) degrees in
Biochemical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. His doctoral thesis advisor was Prof.
Arnold Demain. After completion of his studies, he
worked at Eastman Kodak Company, W. R. Grace and Company
and Merck and Company Inc. While at Eastman Kodak he
developed processes to produce enzymes from microbial
sources for use in the clinical diagnostic system
manufactured by Kodak. He designed, built and operated
a pilot plant for the production and isolation of
enzymes. At W. R. Grace and Company, he was involved in
the development of fermentation processes for the
production of amino acids. He designed and initiated
construction of a pilot plant before moving to Merck.
He was a member of Merck Research Laboratory (MRL) for
more than 24 years. His position at MRL when he retired
was Director of Natural Products Microbiology. While at
Merck he was involved in the development of processes
for the production of antibiotics, antifungal agents,
human therapeutic compounds and animal health drugs.
His most notable contributions at MRL were the
production processes for the anti-fungal cyclic
lipopeptide, pneumocandin B0, the natural
product precursor of Cancidas and for lovastatin,
respectively. Cancidas is used for the empiric therapy
of systemic fungal infections and is the most
efficacious and safe anti-fungal drug available today.
Lovastatin (Mevacor) was the first statin marketed for
the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and is the natural
product precursor to Zocor. In addition, he served on
the editorial board of Applied and Environmental
Microbiology from 1980 to 1986. He has also been a
guest reviewer for Applied Microbiology and
Biotechnology as well as for Biotechnology and Applied
Biochemistry. He has written numerous publications in
peer reviewed journals and book chapters. He is holder
of 19 patents. Dr. Masurekar has served as the
President-elect and the President of TSS. At the
present time he is the Chair-elect of Division O of ASM
and will begin his term on May 20, 2009. He is a member
of SIM, and in August, 2008 was elected Fellow of the
Society.
Local Councilors:
(3-year term)
Lee
Kerkhof
Dr. Kerkhof is a
Professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal
Sciences, Cook College, Rutgers University.
Howard
Singer
Dr. Singer received a
Warner Lambert-American Chemical Society Scholarship at
Oberlin College where he received his B.S. in Biology
and Chemistry. He received an M.S. in Microbiology at
the University of Minnesota as well as a Ph.D. in
Molecular Biology and Microbiology. After graduation he
took a job in the Biology Department at New Jersey
University where he is currently a full professor. His
research was on bacterial cell walls and lytic enzymes
and he has a number of publications. He has also been
active in the environmental movement. He has been an
ASM member since his undergraduate days and is a
long‑time member of TSS. He has served as President,
co-President, and National Councilor of TSS.
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