A Presidential Honor
UMBC biologist Rachel M. Brewsterstyle> recently made a short drive to Washington, D.C. that was a big leap forward for her and the University. She received the nation’s top honor for promising young scientists, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), at a White House ceremony in July.
The PECASE provides up to five years of financial support to the honored scientists for research and community outreach. Awardees must be nominated by a participating federal agency or department. Brewster was one of just three U.S. biologists nominated by the National Science Foundation (NSF) who were selected for the PECASE. A total of 60 researchers from a variety of fields were honored at the ceremony.
Brewster will use her PECASE funding to involve high school, undergraduate and graduate students from diverse backgrounds in her lab’s research. Brewster’s specialty is genetic analysis of zebrafish embryos to better understand the causes of birth defects of the brain and central nervous system, the most common of which is spina bifida, the leading cause of childhood paralysis in the United States.
“It’s certainly an amazing honor to receive this award,” said Brewster. In her acceptance speech, she thanked UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowskistyle> as the catalyst for the University’s Meyerhoff Scholarship Program, which has become known as a national model for drawing talented minority students into research careers.
“I have been very fortunate to work with Meyerhoff students in my lab,” said Brewster. She singled out UMBC alumna and former Meyerhoff Scholar Keisha John ’06,style> who now attends the Watson Graduate School of Biological Sciences, as instrumental in producing some key pieces of data which made the award nomination possible.
“Rachel Brewster is a wonderful colleague, an inspiring role model and a dedicated mentor to many students at UMBC,” said Lynn Zimmerman,style> vice provost for academic initiatives and professor of biological sciences at UMBC. “She is a tremendous asset to UMBC’s biological sciences department and we are delighted to see her receive this well deserved recognition.”
9/5/2006
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