Deans Vanderlick and Cooley among those honored by YSEA

Yale deans Kyle Vanderlick and Lynn Cooley, faculty member Dr. Arthur Horwich, alumnus Jonathan Ayres, and outstanding undergraduates were honored at the 103rd annual meeting and awards dinner of the Yale Science & Engineering Association (YSEA), held on April 28 in the President’s Room at the Quinnipiack Club.

By William Weir

May 3, 2017

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Yale deans Kyle Vanderlick and Lynn Cooley, faculty member Dr. Arthur Horwich, alumnus Jonathan Ayers, and outstanding undergraduates were honored at the 103rd annual meeting and awards dinner of the Yale Science & Engineering Association (YSEA), held on April 28 in the President’s Room at the Quinnipiack Club.

At the event, YSEA officials announced that the organization had created the Dean Kyle Vanderlick Research Grant”in recognition of the dean’s “legacy in establishing the Yale School of Engineering and Applied Science as a bridge between the sciences and the humanities on the Yale campus and beyond.” YSEA President John Siemon credited Vanderlick with greatly expanding the scope of the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) since she was appointed dean in 2008. Through this transformation, he said, “interest and enrollment in Yale’s engineering programs and student groups have flourished.”

He also cited the numerous cross-disciplinary collaborations between SEAS and other fields of research at Yale. The grant will be available annually to Yale science and engineering undergraduates “who demonstrate the values that Dean Vanderlick has exemplified throughout her tenure at SEAS.”

YSEA officials also announced the awardees for three honors:

Lynn Cooley,

dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, theC.N.H. Long Professor of Genetics, and professor of cell biology and of molecular, cellular, and developmental biology, received the YSEA Award for Meritorious Service.

Cooley has focused her research on the mechanisms and regulation of oogenesis in the fruit fly (drosophila). In her work, she has elucidated numerous aspects of Drosophila biology, utilizing techniques for genetic analysis in Drosophila that she has pioneered in her career.

At Yale, she has served as a member of the Biological Sciences Advisory Committee (2005–2007), director of the Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (2001–2014), director of the Medical Research Scholars Program (2006–2014), and director of the China Scholarship Council–Yale World Scholars Program (2006–2014).

Dr. Arthur Horwich,

Sterling Professor of Genetics and Pediatrics at the Yale School of Medicine and an investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, received the YSEA Award for Advancement of Basic & Applied Science

His research into protein foldingestablished the existence of a large class of proteins termed “chaperonins,” which help proteins fold correctly in various cellular locales. Previously, researchers believed that proteins folded into shape by themselves

In addition to their significance in fundamental biology, chaperonins have been recognized as being of great medical significance: Derangement of protein folding has been connected with numerous disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases. Most recently Horwich’s laboratory has been studying the role of misfolding of the enzyme known as superoxide dismutatse I (SOD1), which leads to a specific type of amyotrophic laterals sclerosis (ALS).

Jonathan Ayers ’78

, chair, president and CEO of IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. received the YSEA Award for Distinguished Service to Industry, Commerce or Education

IDEXX is a leading innovator in veterinary medicine, producing test protocols, novel chemistry, diagnostic equipment, and software to deliver rapid and accurate results. IDEXX also protects water supplies for millions of people worldwide through their drinking water and wastewater quality tests. In addition, IDEXX tests help to protect dairy, poultry and livestock around the world.

IDEXX’s growing global workforce of 7,000 includes over 700 veterinarians and Ph.D.s who bring a consistent stream of diagnostic and software innovations to the veterinary industry.

Siemon cited the company’s sponsorship of STEM activities in local schools and universities, adding that “IDEXX expands this culture of innovation far beyond its walls, both retaining and attracting top talent.”

The YSEA Awards for Outstanding Academic Achievement were presented to the science and engineering undergraduates with the highest GPAs in their classes after five and seven terms, respectively. The winners are

Malini Gandhi ’17
Molecular, cellular & developmental biology, GPA of 4.0

Anna Russo ’17
Applied mathematics, GPA of 4.0

Christopher Chute ’17
Mathematics, GPA of 3.99

Yumi Koga 17
Chemistry, GPA of 3.99

Stan Swidwinski ’17
Electrical engineering/computer science, GPA of 3.99

Christopher Chute ’17
Mathematics/computer science, GPA of 3.99

Julia Borowski ’18
Chemistry, GPA of 4.00

Martin Lim ’18
Economics/chemistry, GPA of 4.00

Adam Lowet ’18
Cognitive science/molecular, cellular & developmental biology, GPA of 4.00

Scott Stankey ’18
Mathematics, GPA of 4.00

Sara Meyers ’18
Molecular, cellular & developmental biology, GPA of 3.99

Lionel Jin ’18
Molecular, cellular & developmental biology, GPA of 3.99