Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Stephen J. Benkovic, an Evan Pugh professor of chemistry and holder of the Eberly Family Chair in Chemistry at Penn State, has been awarded the 2011 National Academy of Sciences Award in Chemical Sciences. He was chosen to receive the award for his groundbreaking contributions to understanding catalysis and complex biological machines -- the purinosome and DNA polymerases -- and for demonstrating the power of chemistry to solve biological problems. Supported by the Merck Company Foundation with a monetary prize, the award honors innovative research in the chemical sciences that contributes to a better understanding of the natural sciences and to the benefit of humanity. (more)
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Stephen J. Benkovic, Evan Pugh professor and Eberly family chair in chemistry at Penn State, will be honored as the recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science on April 23 during a gala black-tie ceremony and dinner at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The Franklin Institute awards have been given to Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Marie and Pierre Curie, Orville Wright, Jane Goodall, and others, including many who have gone on to receive the Nobel Prize, since the award was established in 1824. (more)
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Penn State scientists are the first to observe in living cells a key step in the creation of adenine and guanine, two of the four building blocks that comprise DNA. Also called purines, the two building blocks are essential for cell replication. The findings, which will be published in the April 4 issue of the journal Science, could lead to new cancer treatments that prevent cancer cells from replicating by interfering with their abilities to make purines. (more)
