University of Massachusetts Physics professor Jennifer Ross was recently named a 2010 Cottrell Scholar, a prestigious accolade reserved for the brightest up-and-coming stars in the sciences.
The recognition comes from the Tucson, Ariz.-based Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA), an organization which states on its website that it is dedicated to supporting early-career faculty, innovative ideas leading to transformative research, the integration of research with undergraduate education, and several other goals. The Corporation has been giving out the awards, named for its founder, Frederick Gardner Cottrell, since 1994.
According to Research Corporation Program Officer Richard Wiener, the awards are given out to “support outstanding research and teaching practices conducted by early career university scholars at PhD-granting institutions.”
The award includes a grant of $75,000, with no budget proposal required, meaning awardees can use the funds for research and equipment costs at their discretion. $5,000 of the award is set aside to allow the scholars to attend the annual Cottrell Scholars conference in Tucson.
Ross won after her proposal, titled “Studies of Microtubule Intracellular Highways: Building Bridges between Physics and Biology,” was reviewed and selected by a panel of her peers picked by RCSA. According to a UMass News and Media Information Office release, only 12 percent of applicants received Cottrell Scholar awards this year.
Wiener said Ross distinguished herself through the innovative design of her proposal and because she combined aspects of physical and life sciences in shaping her plan.
“Professor Ross proposed conducting systematic investigations of how the architecture of cellular microtubule networks impact the motion of single protein motors and motor-laden molecular cargo,” he said. “RCSA believes Ross’ work bridges the boundary between the physical and life sciences and will provide a deep understanding of the dynamics of cellular processes. Professor Ross’ educational plan seeks to educate undergraduates from physics, chemistry, the life sciences and engineering in advanced mathematics and physics using an interdisciplinary approach.”
Ross and 10 other winners will also receive a write-up in the prominent journal Science.
According to the UMass release, Ross’ proposal pertains to imaging single molecules of microtubule motor proteins, with applications for neuromuscular disease research.
“These nano-scale proteins shuttle materials and organelles throughout all your body’s cells,” explained Ross in the release. “These active motility processes are most important in very long cells – like nerve cells – where goods and materials made or recycled in the cell body need to be transported a long way (up to 1 meter in nerves connecting your toes to your spine) to be used at the end of the axon. Defects in transport are related to neuromuscular diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease,” she furthered. “We are interested in dissecting how nano-scale traffic jams could stop transport inside cells. We study these motors one at a time using fluorescence microscopy that can see single proteins.”
Beyond applications to her research, Ross plans to use her Cottrell money to develop an interdisciplinary optics course.
“My course is designed to give students a basic understanding of optics design and construction principles, so that they can take these skills to their own research. The course has an extensive laboratory section where groups of students design and build an optics microscope out of component optics pieces. The Cottrell Award will enable me to purchase two more experimental set-ups so that more students can take the class,” she explained in the release.
Ross, who came to the University in 2007 and runs the Ross Lab here, conducted her Ph.D. work at the University of California Santa Barbara and her postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania.
Shevonne Commock can be reached at [email protected]. Sam Butterfield can be reached at [email protected].
