Tracy A. Hammer Graduate Student Award For Professional Development


This award recognizes and supports an outstanding graduate student with a one-time stipend that can be used for professional travel, reference texts, or computer software. Nominations are submitted by CNS faculty, staff and alumni. The Board of Directors of the CNS Alumni Association selects the recipient and presents the award at the annual CNS Awards Convocation.

The award was renamed in 1996 to memorialize 1995 co-recipient Tracy Anne Hammer. A native of New York, Hammer was the first dual degree candidate to pursue a doctoral degree in animal genetics through the department of Microbiology and Veterinary Medicine. Her research centered on canine dilated cardiomyopathy. While traveling to a conference, Hammer died in a plane crash shortly before graduation. Her degree was awarded posthumously.

This award includes a $500 stipend funded by the CNS Alumni Association and the CNSAA Endowed Scholarship Fund.

 

2008 Recipients

 

Edward Kabara, Biochemistry

Ed is working on a PhD in Biochemistry and came to MSU from the University of Wisconsin. He works in the Molecular Pathogenesis Laboratory on a large-scale microarray project designed to investigate the effect of pathogenic mycobacteria on intracellular signaling and metabolic pathways in macrophages. Ed is extremely interested in bioinformatics and systems biology, and plans to use the award to attend a Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Computational Genomics.

Jaime Kopper, Cell and Molecular Biology

Jaime is working on a PhD through the Cell and Molecular Biology Program and came to MSU from Alma College. Under the leadership of Dr. Linda Mansfield, Jaime has been investigating the use of Trichuris as a cure for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). She has also participated in research experiences involving RNA Editing and Autoimmune Diseases of the Skin. She is a member of the American Chemical Society, American Society of Parasitologists and the American Society of Microbiologists, and she intends to use the award to attend the ASM General Meeting.

 

Past Recipients - Tracy Hammer Graduate Student Award

1993
Philip Schultz
Chemistry
1994
Nancy S. Barta
Chemistry
1995
Jose de Ondarza
Physiology
Tracy A. Hammer
Microbiology & Veterinary Medicine
1996
Eleny-Nicoleta Ionel
Mathematics
Tedi Draghici
Mathematics
1997
Matthew Gardner
Chemistry
Vaughn Wagner
Zoology
1998
Mark A. Waner
Chemistry
1999
Thomas A. Cullen
Chemistry
2000
Micah Stowe
Chemistry
2001
   
2002
Shannon Haymond
Chemistry
Shibani Mukherjee
Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
2003
Emil Bozin
Physics & Astronomy
2004
Anne Fischer
Chemistry
2005
Melissa Meaney
Chemistry
2006
Ellen Wilch
Genetics Program
2007
Rashad Simmons
Chemistry
2008
Ed Kabara
Biochemistry
 
Jaime Kopper
Cell & Molecular Biology
     

Download a Nomination Form (PDF Format) for this award.