ASP Newsletter: Fall 2022, Volume 58, Issue 3
In 2020, PLOS Biology published their list of the 100,000 most influential scientists with regards to their publication citations and impact on the field, both in regards to career-long and single year impacts. This list includes at least 47 ASP members, some of whom are still active while others trace their impact back to the founding of the society. A few of these members are highlighted here.
Dr. Elizabeth (Betsy) Parkinson, our featured new member in this issue of the Newsletter, began her appointment as an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Purdue University in August of 2018. In addition to ASP, Dr. Parkinson is also a member of the American Chemical Society and the Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB). We thank Dr. Parkinson for taking the time to talk with us and are pleased to officially welcome her to ASP.
February 11 was International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a United Nations initiative actioning “full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls, and further achieve gender equality.” It was empowering to see so many women being celebrated, and celebrating themselves, for the work we are doing to break barriers and become the role models we wish we had. I sat down to listen to two incredible women, Dr. Mandë Holford and ASP member Dr. Marcy Balunas, talk about the exciting research they are doing in the field of natural products.
Calling All ASP Members Do you love photography? Do you find yourself taking photos of the natural world? We want to showcase your fascinating science through photography, and feature it on our ASP website! We would love to see your vibrant, colorful, and engaging photos of bacteria, plants, fungi, sample collection, and more! Please submit […]
Join us in July for A Month of ASP with Vanguards of Natural Product Research 2021 and the all new ASP Job Fair Vanguards of Natural Product Research 2021
Over the last eight or so months there have been a series of papers, some short, some long, covering what can be considered as four major topics: natural products, repurposing of approved drugs, use of old vaccines as potential methods of alleviating the effects of CoV-2, and an idea of what needs to be done in the future.
Though natural product chemists who specialize in marine-sourced agents are usually aware of the contribution of structures based upon dolastatin 10 as warheads in antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), targeted against cancers of varying etiologies, the majority of ASP members may not be aware of the significant contributions made as a result of studies by the Pettit group starting in the middle 1960s.
After 25 years of working as a scientist in increasingly entrepreneurial environments, including positions at early stage platform and drug discovery/development companies, a late-night chance encounter in 2000 at Raleigh Durham airport with Arthur Pappas, a life science investor, was my introduction into the world of venture capital.
Please see link for a letter from the ASP President.
On September 2020, the BBC released Extinction: The Facts, a documentary about the sixth mass extinction. It is narrated by Sir David Attenborough, a natural historian known for his work in BBC’s Life series. The 58-minute film shows the effects of biodiversity loss and climate change. Attenborough, together with renowned scientists from different fields, provide a series of shocking facts that make this documentary a compulsory watch for all.
NEWSLETTER STAFF
Edward J. Kennelly, PhD
Editor In Chief
Patricia Carver, MA
Copyediting & Proofreading
Nancy Novick
Design & Production
Gordon Cragg, PhD
Mario Figueroa, PhD
Joshua Kellogg, PhD
Michael Mullowney, PhD
Guido Pauli, PhD
Patricia Van Skaik, MA, MLS
Jaclyn Winter, PhD
ASP Newsletter Committee
Contribution deadlines
Spring: Feb. 15; Summer: May 15 Fall: Aug. 15; Winter:Nov. 15
Please send information to
Edward J. Kennelly, PhD Editor In Chief,
ASP Newsletter
Department of Biological Sciences
Lehman College, CUNY
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lehman.cuny.edu
ISSN 2377-8520 (print) ISSN 2377-8547 (online)