2010 Awardees at Ceremony

Ye Tian

Background: Ms. Tian received her BS from Beijing Normal University in 2005, and entered the PhD program in the National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing in 2005. Her research is the study of autophagy in C. elegans. By genetic screens, she identified a number of genes involved in autophagy. Currently, she is working on defining the functions of the gene products and signaling pathways.

Citation: Ms. Tian thinks clearly and lively, and provides concise and complete answers to questions. She presented many good ideas about her research. She showed creativity in doing experiments, and is knowledgeable of all the experimental methods. She has a clear vision on future research and is dedicated to discovery of new treatment for serious human diseases. She presented herself with poise.

It is recognized that Ms. Tian has a great potential. Her presentation was very impressive. It is rare to see a student who has such a clear vision. She is a very promising young scientist.

This prize is sponsored by Morningside Foundation.

Mo Xu

Background: Mr. Xu received his BS in 2006, and entered the PhD program in the National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing in 2006. His research is the study of chromatin marks that have been inherited during cell cycle. He developed the unique method combining mass spectrometry and genetic approaches.

Citation: During the interview, Mr. Xu gave sharp and precise answers to all the questions. The answers were in depth and in details. He is extraordinarily knowledgeable about the experimental design, in which he independently came up with the idea to combine mass spectrometry and genetic methods in order to solve the problem. He is very focused on the biological problem and has many novel ideas for future experiments.

Mr. Xu is sharp and smart. He is very knowledgeable in mass spectrometry and genetic tools. He showed the potential to be a rising star in every aspect.

This prize is sponsored by Epitomics, Inc.

Rui Yue

Background: Mr. Yue received his BS from Zhejiang University with a No. 1 ranking in his class. He entered the PhD program in the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science in 2005. His published research focuses on beta-arrestin 1 in regulation of Zebrafish hematopoiesis. Beta-arrestin accomplishes this developmental functions by binding to YY1 and relieving the polycomb group repression. This work was published in Cell with Mr. Yue as the first author. In addition, Mr Yue is in the middle of completing another project that investigates the function of G-protein coupled receptor in zebrafish hematopoietic development.

Citation: Mr. Yue is clearly an outstanding student. He initiated the project and made the major contribution to the Cell paper. Moreover, he does not rush to graduate because he decides to complete another potentially significant project by spending an extra year (6th year) in his current lab. Mr. Yue cares science more than his graduation. Mr. Yue is a very mature scientist at his stage of scientific career. He is smart and hard working. Based on our interview, he is an excellent teacher by training other graduate students in his current lab and has already displayed a leadership that sets him far above an average student.

Mr. Yue is an exceptionally strong graduate student. We would rank him one of the very best (if not the best) students we have ever met. His talent, dedication, and training will ensure him a successful scientific career. We have little doubt that Mr. Yue will be a star in life science.

This prize is sponsored by Morningside Foundation.

Yi Wang

Background: Ms. Wang received her BS from Tsinghua University in 2007, and entered the PhD program in Tsinghua University in 2007. Her research is the structural study of a protein channel, an integral membrane protein. She solved the crystal structure of the membrane protein at very high resolution.

Citation: Ms. Wang showed strong knowledge in protein biology as well as crystallographic techniques. She was able to clearly compare and contrast the stability of different membrane proteins and the relationship to their functions. This goes beyond her own project. She is knowledgeable in many other methods and biological problems in general. She is very determined during her research, not giving up easily if she encountered difficulties.

Ms. Wang is a well developed young scientist. She is knowledgeable and experienced. She has a clear vision and a strong will to carry out challenging life science research projects. She is a very promising future scientist.

This prize is sponsored by Morningside Foundation.

Kai Lei

Background: Mr. Lei received his BS from Wuhai University in 2006. He entered the PhD program in the Institute of Development Biology, Fudan University in 2006. He studied the function of Kash and Sun, which were originally characterized in C. elegans, using mouse model. His works demonstrated that SUN1 and SUN2 play essential role in nucleus anchoring in muscle, which is a multinuclear cell. The Sun protein connects nuclear envelope with cytoskeletal structure to position cell nuclei. This work was published in PNAS with Mr. Lei as the first author. More over, Mr. Lei also contributed to the characterization of SUN genes in nucleus anchoring and migration in neurons. He is the second author on a Neuron paper.

Citation: Mr. Lei is a dedicated young scientist and he has accomplished significantly in a short time (He is a fourth year student). He is smart and has a broad knowledge in both his project and other related fields. He has a strong desire to have a career in science. Based on the interview, it is clear that Mr. Lei has a thorough understanding of his research projects, including the significance, experimental design, and data interpretation. Without any doubt, he is an outstanding graduate student.

Mr. Lei is an outstanding student with a very significant accomplishment as a young scientist. We would rank him among the very best graduate students. His talent, dedication, and training will ensure him a successful scientific career.

This prize is sponsored by Morningside Foundation.

Wei Song

Background: Mr. Song received his BS from Wuhan University in 2005, and entered the PhD program in the Institute of Nutrition, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science in 2005. His research involves characterization of the role of a conserved connector protein, SH2B, in insulin signal pathway. His recent progress revealed the role of SH2B at the molecular and genetic levels, and showed for the first the differential role of SH2B in insects and mammals. His personal interest is to focus on a specific biological problem and go deeper in its study.

Citation: The most standing out feature of Mr. Song is that he could answer all the questions clearly and logically. He has in depth knowledge of his research area, and at the same time broad knowledge of life science research. He demonstrated independent thinking and the ability to recognize potential problems. He sees the significance of the research project and is willing to explore all possibilities.

Mr. Song is a strong student. His clarity in addressing critical questions and logical analysis of problems demonstrated his outstanding potential in life science research.

This prize is sponsored by Morningside Foundation.

Fuping You

Background: Mr. You received his BS from HeBei University in 2006, and entered the PhD program in Peking University in 2006. His research is the study of innate immunity during viral infection.

Citation: Mr. You made a very good impression of the panel by offering clear and concise answers to all the questions. He thinks lively and has broad knowledge in the field. He masters the experimental methods with confidence and details. He is very knowledgeable of the signaling pathways and was able to independently identify potentially new mechanism of signaling.

Mr. You is clearly a strong student. He demonstrated the ability to think and work independently. He was making significant new discoveries during his studies. He also has broad knowledge of the field in general. Overall, Mr. You is a very promising young scientist.

This prize is sponsored by Morningside Foundation.

RWMF members at the award ceremony for the 2010 Ray Wu Prize