b'Carnegie Science|Fall 2019 13H H HMeredith Wilson Receives ThirteenthPostdoctoral Innovation and Excellence AwardMeredith Wilson, a postdoctoral associate incollaborators identified a mutation in Steve Farbers lab at the Department ofmicrosomal triglyceride transfer protein Embryology, has been awarded Carnegies(MTTP), which is essential in the intestine thirteenth Postdoctoral Innovation andand liver for moving triglycerides and Excellence Award. This prize is given toother lipids into ApoB-containing postdocs for their exceptionally creativelipoproteins. These particles transport approaches to science, strong mentoring,lipids through the body, but when elevated and contributing to the sense of campusthey are a major risk factor for community. The nominations are made bycardiovascular disease. MTTP was the departments and are chosen by thetargeted by pharmaceutical companies for Office of the Presidentdrug development, but their inhibitors Wilson came from the University ofcause severe side effects. The new Pennsylvania in 2014, where shezebrafish mutation identifies a critical investigated how motor proteins positionregion of the protein important for a nuclei in developing muscle cells. Atspecific type of lipid transport and Carnegie, she applies her training andsuggests a new strategy to treat these interest in metabolism to investigate cellularhuman diseases.processes regulating the absorption andIn addition, Wilson contributes to transport of dietary fat in vivo. Farbers labtraining and mentoring the next generation uses clear zebrafish larvae to understandof scientists for the zebrafish course at the how the body processes and stores lipids. Marine Biological Laboratory and as a Wilson realized that the appearance ofvolunteer with BioEYES, a hands-on STEMMeredith Wilsonthe zebrafish yolk could help identifyoutreach effort at Carnegie in addition toImage courtesy Carnegie Institution for Scienceabnormalities in lipid processing. She andother community projects.Decker French Receives AstronomysPrestigious Trumpler AwardThe Astronomical Society of the Pacificchallenged a long-held assumption about recognized Carnegies K. Decker Frenchpost-starburst galaxies.with its Robert J. Trumpler Award. ThisA nominator for the award called award is presented to a recent Ph.D.Frenchs discovery one of the most graduate whose research is consideredimportant observational results in galaxy unusually important to astronomy. Frenchevolution in the last 10 years.completed her doctorate at the UniversityIf that werent enough, Frenchs of Arizona in 2017, and she is currently adissertation described another Hubble Fellow at the Carnegiegroundbreaking discovery that tidal Observatories. disruption events, instances where a star French focuses on a radio survey ofpasses too close to a super massive black the gas clouds within galaxies that havehole and is torn apart by gravitational recently ended the star-forming phase offorces, are more common in post-starburst evolution. The lack of star formation ingalaxies. these galaxies has long been assumed toWe are so proud of Deckers be caused by a depletion of the cold, denseachievement and honored to have her at molecular gases needed to coalesce intoCarnegie, said Director John Mulchaey. I new stars. But by analyzing these galaxiesalways tell people that the Carnegie in radio wavelengths, French observedObservatories postdoc program is one of the that they have plenty of cold gas to makevery best in the entire world, and this award stars, but that these gases are not densedemonstrates that we are attracting the top Decker FrenchImage courtesy Decker French enough to initiate the star-formingearly career scientists to work with us.processa finding that fundamentally'