Biology Graduate Student Elise Gray Wins the Reverend Donald J. Plocke, S.J. Award

Elise Gray, a Biology graduate student in Professor Michelle Meyer's lab, was honored with the Reverend Donald J. Plocke, S.J. Award at the Biology Department Annual Scientific Meeting. Her talk was entitled, "The rplU-ysxB-rpmA operon in Bacillus subtilis is auto-regulated by ribosomal protein L21 via an RNA cis-regulatory element."

In 2016, the award for best speaker at the Biology Department annual scientific retreat was renamed the Father Plocke Award in honor of the late former Chair of the Biology Department. Fr. Plocke was a member of the department for 43 years, and served as the Chairperson from 1971-1980. His research activities focused on the biological role of metal ions - especially zinc - and cellular responses to toxic levels of metals. He was a dedicated researcher and teacher, whose work and ministry affected thousands of students over the years.

Last year's recipient was Alexander Auld, a graduate student in Professor Eric Folker's lab, for his talk, "Nucleus-dependent sarcomere assembly is mediated by the LINC complex."