Marjorie Riches Gunn Award for Graduate Student Excellence
Marjorie (Marge) Riches Gunn is a longtime friend of the Department. She was secretary to Leo Samuels, who was the first chair of Biochemistry (1943-64) after the foundation of our four-year medical school. Marge was therefore a key personality in defining the culture of excellence and communal support that we continue to cherish. Marge’s husband, Francis Gunn, was chair of the Department of Pathology (1945-53), and it is fitting that laboratories in Biochemistry and Pathology currently share space in the Emma Eccles Jones Medical Research Building and
have numerous productive interactions. We are delighted to honor Marge’s friendship and generosity with this award, which will be given annually to the Biochemistry PhD candidate who is judged by the faculty to most exemplify our values of scientific excellence.
Eligibility criteria
The competition is open to any current Biochemistry PhD candidate whose faculty mentor has a primary or adjunct appointment in the Department. Students must have successfully passed their preliminary exam to be eligible to apply. Because the award is based on scientific accomplishment, we envision that the strongest candidates will be senior students with a record of accomplishment (publications, fellowships, presentations, awards, etc.) who are close finishing their PhD. Students who recently defended their thesis are still eligible to apply.
Application Instructions
Applications (CV and Essay) should be compiled as one PDF document and submitted by email to Adam Hughes by Friday May 19, 2023 at 5pm MST. Please write “Gunn Award Application” in the subject line. Letters of reference should be emailed directly to Adam Hughes from reference writers by the deadline.
Eveline Bruenger Award for Postdoctoral Excellence
The Eveline Bruenger competition is for Postdoctoral Fellows. Eveline Bruenger was a distinguished scientist, a gifted artist, an avid hiker, and a life-long learner. Always described as vibrant and a positive influence, Eveline was a member of the U of U Health Sciences Council and the Educational Resource Development Council. She was also a unique donor, as she generously supported research and scholarships to many U Health entities, including the Department of Biochemistry. Eveline passed away in April 2018, after receiving a lung cancer diagnosis three years prior. She is greatly missed, and her legacy will continue with our Departmental Postdoctoral Award that bears her name. In honor of her scientific excellence, her love of learning, and her commitment to supporting the community, we are delighted to offer this award to a Biochemistry Postdoctoral Fellow who embodies these attributes.
Eligibility criteria
The competition is open to any current Biochemistry Postdoctoral Fellow whose faculty mentor has a primary or adjunct appointment in the Department. The award is based on outstanding research accomplishments (publications, awards and fellowships, presentations at national meetings, etc), and contributions to the community (teaching, outreach, postdoc organization, etc); therefore, the strongest candidates will likely be more senior postdocs with a record of these accomplishments. Multiple entries are permitted from each lab.
Application Instructions
Applications (CV and Essay) should be compiled as one PDF document and submitted by email to Minna Roh- Johnson by Fri May 19, 2023 at 5pm MST. Please write “Bruenger Award Application” in the subject line. Letters of reference should be emailed directly to Minna from reference writers.
Sherman R. and Deborah Ann Dickman Graduate Student Travel Fellowship
Sherman R. Dickman was a biochemist in the University of Utah School of Medicine who studied mechanisms of translation. In honor of his contribution to education at the University of Utah, we are proud to announce a bequest to support travel for current graduate students. This $500 travel award will be given to a graduate student to attend a conference of their choice during the next year. The award will be given to students who have excelled academically at Utah. Priority will be given to under-represented PhD candidates pursuing an education in the School of Medicine in a subject related to Biochemistry.
Application
Interested students should provide their current CV and an essay (250 words or less) describing the meeting of choice and how it will advance their career in science, broadly defined. The student’s mentor should provide a letter of support indicating that they will pay the remaining balance (if applicable) and should speak to the research and academic strengths of the student. To receive the award, students must submit an abstract for presentation that is accepted by the conference organizing committee. The application is open to all current PhD students in a School of Medicine laboratory, but preference will be given to students meeting the above criteria. Up to two travel awards will be given in 2024. Applications will be due April 26, 2024.
The application will consist of:
- A student CV
- A description of how attending the meeting will advance the applicant's career (250 words)
- A letter from the thesis advisor
Applications should be emailed to Paul Sigala by April 26, 2024. Please write “Dickman Award Application” in the subject line.
2023 Awardees
Tianyao Xiao and Joey Casalini
We are pleased to announce this year's annual Marjorie Riches Gunn Award for PhD graduate students in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Utah goes to Tianyao Xiao in the Hughes Lab and Joey Casalini in the Roh-Johnson Lab.
2023 Awardee
2023 Awardees
Shai-Anne Nalder and Julio Fierro
The Sherman R. and Deborah Ann Dickman Graduate Student Travel Fellowship was awarded to Shai-Anne Nalder in Paul Sigala's lab and Julio Fierro in Minna Roh-Johnson's lab. Congratulations!
2022 Awardee
Megan Okada
We are pleased to announce this year's annual Marjorie Riches Gunn Award for PhD graduate students in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Utah goes to Megan Okada in the Sigala lab.
2022 Awardee
Ahmad Cluntun, PhD
We are pleased to announce the third annual Eveline Bruenger Award winner for Postdoctoral Fellows in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Utah is Dr. Ahmad Cluntun in Jared Rutter's lab.
2022 Awardees
Michael Stewart,
Supraja Ranganathan, and
Shuxin Wang
The Sherman R. and Deborah Ann Dickman Graduate Student Travel Fellowship was awarded to Michael Stewart (Miller Lab), Supraja Ranganathan (Bass Lab), and Shuxin Wang (Shen Lab)
2020 Awardee
Lara Rheinneman
We are pleased to announce this year's Marjorie Riches Gunn Award for PhD graduate students in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Utah goes to Lara Rheinneman in the Sundquist lab.
2020 Awardee
Sara Nowinski, Ph.D.
We are pleased to announce the second annual Eveline Bruenger Award winner for Postdoctoral Fellows in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Utah is Dr. Sara Nowinski in Jared Rutter's lab.
2020 Awardees
Qian Xue
Jesse Velasco
The Sherman R. and Deborah Ann Dickman Graduate Student Travel Fellowship was awarded to Qian Xue in the Roh-Johnson lab and Jesse Velasco in the Ducker lab.
2019 Awardees
Alyssa English and Max Schuler
We are pleased to announce this year's annual Marjorie Riches Gunn Award for PhD graduate students in the Department of Biochemistry goes to Alyssa English and Max Schuler, both whom are in the Hughes/Shaw lab.
2019 Awardee
Han Han, Ph.D.
We are pleased to announce the inaugural Eveline Bruenger Award winner for Postdoctoral Fellows in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Utah is Dr. Han Han in Chris Hill's lab.
2019 Awardees
Zach Cruz
Seyi Falekun
The Sherman R. and Deborah Ann Dickman Graduate Student Travel Fellowship was awarded to Zach Cruz in the Kay lab and Seyi Falekun in the Sigala lab.
Marjorie Riches Gunn Award for Graduate Student Excellence
Eligibility criteria
The competition is open to any current Biochemistry PhD candidate whose faculty mentor has a primary or
adjunct appointment in the Department. Students must have successfully passed their preliminary exam to be
eligible to apply. Because the award is based on scientific accomplishment, we envision that the strongest
candidates will be senior students with a record of accomplishment (publications, fellowships, presentations,
awards, etc.). Students who have recently defended their thesis (within the past six months) are eligible to
apply. However, those students who received their PhD more than six months ago, or those that cannot attend
the picnic to receive the award (see below) are ineligible. Multiple entries are permitted from each laboratory.
Eveline Bruenger Award for Postdoctoral Excellence
Eligibility criteria
The competition is open to any current Biochemistry postdocs whose faculty mentor has a primary or adjunct appointment in the Department. Postdocs must (additional eligibility information). Because the award is based on scientific accomplishment, we envision that the strongest candidates will be more senior postdocs with a record of accomplishment (publications, fellowships, presentations, etc.). Multiple entries are permitted from each laboratory.
2019 Awardees
2019 Awards
Max Schuler and Alyssia English received the Marjorie Riches Gunn Student Award for Graduate Student Excellence at the 2019 Biochemistry Bash and Award Ceremony. Han Han received the Eveline Bruenger Postdoctoral Award for Excellence. We were privileged to have Marge Gunn attend the event, as well as Kathleen McCloskey and Venki Ramakrishnan