Three faculty win $200,000 Shaw Scientist Awards
Three UW–Madison professors have received 1998 Shaw Scientist Awards, given by the Milwaukee Foundation to encourage exploration at science’s frontiers.
 Sebastian Bednarek
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Winners are Sebastian Bednarek, assistant professor of biochemistry; Edwin Chapman, assistant professor of physiology; and Catherine Fox, assistant professor of biomolecular chemistry.
The $200,000 award, given over five years, is one of the few major research grants in the nation that gives scientists complete leeway in deciding how it will be spent. Its mission is to give promising young scientists free rein to conduct research in biology, biochemistry and cancer-related fields, says Owen W. Griffith, chair of the department of biochemistry at Medical College of Wisconsin, who heads the awards committee.
This year, winners were selected among five scientists nominated by UW–Madison and UW-Milwaukee, the two institutions eligible for the awards.
Bednarek studies how plant cells develop internal partitions called cell plates. Such dividers allow the cells to split into two new cells, a process essential to life and growth. Little is currently known about how molecules form the cell plates that guide cell division. The work could have broad impact in cell biology.
Chapman studies how a protein called synaptotagmin helps trigger signals between nerve cells in the brain. These signals, transmitted between electrical conductors on each nerve cell called “synapses,” are the biochemical basis for thought, emotions and movement. His research could contribute to new treatments for emotional and nerve disorders.
Fox studies a genetic process called “silencing,” in which certain parts of the genetic code contained in a cell’s DNA are made unreadable. The mechanics of this process are not understood, but it is widely recognized as an important step in cell development. A better understanding of gene silencing could be an important step in solving the riddle of cancer.
The award was created in 1982 through a bequest from Dorothy Shaw, widow of James D. Shaw, a prominent Milwaukee attorney. It has provided $7 million to 34 scientists at UW–Madison and UW-Milwaukee since its inception.
The Milwaukee Foundation contains nearly 450 component funds established by donors to address specific local causes, and provides nearly $9 million in grants each year.