Washington, DC—May 28, 2008—The 2008 American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Eli Lilly and Company Research Award is being presented to Dianne K. Newman, Wilson Professor of Biology and Geobiology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This award recognizes fundamental research of unusual merit in microbiology or immunology by an individual on the threshold of his or her career.
Dr. Newman is a pioneering young scientist who has championed the field of geomicrobiology. Her seminal research in this field combines original thinking and powerful experimental approaches, and she has fundamentally changed perceptions of how the earth was formed by demonstrating the role that microbes have had in shaping the planet. Everyone in this burgeoning field benefits from the techniques, constructs, and physiological approaches that Dr. Newman has established for studying bacterial-geologic interaction. Her research applies traditional methods of genetics and molecular biology to poorly understood geological phenomena. She demonstrated that bacteria access insoluble iron by releasing extracellular electron transfer shuttle molecules that reduce and solubilize the iron, thereby making it available for use. She also identified and characterized the process of bacterial respiration of arsenate, and then developed a technique to rapidly and accurately identify arsenate respiring bacteria.
Dr. Newman holds a B.A. in German Studies from Stanford University and received her Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Eli Lilly and Company Research Award will be presented during the 108th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), June 1 – June 5, 2008 in Boston, Massachusetts. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 43,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental well-being.