Thursday, June 9, 4:00 pm, in B122 Gates-Annex, Linus Pauling Lecture Hall | Watch Here (Password: caltech)

Note:
High-quality masks (N95, KN95, KF95, surgical) must be worn indoors by attendees.

Schedule of Events

Welcome to the McCoy Symposium presented by Dennis Dougherty, CCE Chair
The Schuster, the Sharma, and the Merck undergraduate awards 
CCE Teaching Assistantship awards announced by Brian Stoltz
LuValle DEI recipient announced by Brian Stoltz
McCoy awardee Stefan Petrovic announced by André Hoelz 

McCoy Award Recipient

Stefan Petrovic, Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics PhD

(Hoelz Group) "The structure and function of the human nuclear pore complex"

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Stefan graduated summa cum laude from Bucknell University in 2014, obtaining a BS in Cell Biology and Biochemistry with minors in Physics and Mathematics. At Caltech, he is a recipient of the prestigious Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds graduate fellowship and part of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics graduate option. In André Hoelz's group, he has contributed to the elucidation of the near-atomic composite structure of the human nuclear pore complex (NPC), a ~1,000 protein, ~110 MDa assembly spanning both lipid membranes of the nuclear envelope that serves as a channel for the selective transport of macromolecules between the cytoplasm and the nucleus. The research conducive to his PhD dissertation has been highly interdisciplinary, combining heterologous protein expression and purification, X-ray crystallography, single particle cryo‑electron microscopy, light‑scattering and calorimetric biophysical methods, computational docking and molecular dynamics, yeast genetics, and in vivo functional assays. His most recent contributions have elucidated the architecture of the asymmetric cytoplasmic-facing filaments of the human NPC and have shed light on the molecular interactions that maintain the NPC's structural integrity while allowing for the constriction and dilation of its central transport channel, as well as for the emergence of lateral channels that enable integral membrane proteins to flip between the outer and inner membranes of the nuclear envelope. During this time, he has mentored graduate students, undergraduates, and high school volunteers in the Hoelz group, as well as dedicated himself to Caltech's teaching mission by assisting with the instruction of several courses, including the hands-on Ch/BMB 230 "Macromolecular Structure Determination with Modern X‑ray Crystallography Methods" course. His goal for the future is to pursue an independent research career track in which he will use the skills he has honed in the Hoelz group at Caltech to unravel molecular mechanisms behind processes fundamental for the functioning of human cells. 

CCE Teaching Assistantship Award:

The CCE Teaching Assistant award is presented to the best teaching assistants in the division from courses taught in Spring 2021 through Winter 2022.

This year we have two awardees: 

Alexandra Barth for her outstanding work in Ch153. She is a rising sixth year Chemistry graduate student in the Gray group. 

Stefan Petrovic for his outstanding work in BMB230. Stefan has recently defended; he was a Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics graduate student in the Hoelz group.

Undergraduate Awards

The Renuka D. Sharma Prize is awarded to Lucas E. Abounader and Catherine J. Ko. This prize recognizes a sophomore student who has achieved an outstanding performance during their freshman year.

The Merck Index Award is presented to Emily Du and Tianyi Zhang. This award recognizes outstanding Chemistry majors in their junior or senior year. 

The Richard P. Schuster Memorial Prize is awarded to Katerina Gorou. This award is presented to a Chemistry or Chemical Engineering major in their junior or senior year who has shown outstanding academic promise.