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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (July 14, 1994)
Virologist appointed UNL genetics chair By Deb McAdams Editor_ Top execu ti ves of the 3 M Corpo ration, including former chair man and CEO Lew Lehr, were at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Tuesday to announce the appointment of a nationally recognized AIDS re searcher to the 3M/Lcw Lehr En dowed Chair in Genetics at UNL. In a ceremony at the Wick Alumni Center, Charles Wood, currently head of the Division ofNeurovirology at the University of Miami, was appointed to the position, pending approval by the Board of Regents. He will take the position at the George W. BcadleCen ter for Biotechnology Research when the center opens next year. The chair was created by a SI million donation from 3M Corporation. Jack Moms, director of tin: UNL School of Biological Sciences, said 3M wasn’t directly involved in genet ics research, and there were no strings attached to the endowment. The cor poration’s selection of UNL for the endowment was Lehr’s decision. “3M traditionally provides an cn dowment for the retiring CEO,” Morris said. Lehr, a native of Elgin, earned a chemical engineering degree at the University of Nebraska. He advocated curiosity-based research and recog nized the importance of genetic re search, Morris said. Lehr’s interest in research and his support of UNL al lowed the university to attract Wood, who has done significant research about HIV, the virus that causes Al DS. Wood said he accepted the position at UN L because it provided an “oppor tunity to build a program and to attract other investigators to the center.” Much of Wood’s focus as the ge neticschair will be on HIV. Wood said he has been involved in HIV research since the virus was discovered and has helped engineer products used to screen blood. Creating a solid foundation for his program will be one of Wood’s main goals. Besides studying HIV, he has done genetic research on a bovine immun odeficiency virus. Vice Chancellor for Research Priscilla Grew said. “His research involves both human and animal viruses. We see this as an ideal thing because he’ll bring togeth er research from cast campus and city campus," she said. Grcw’sofFice is promoting research 1 inkages between all of NU ’s campus es, and the nature ofWood’s work will help strengthen the research relation ship between UNL and UNMC, she said. “There is strong HIV research at UNMC,” Morris said. “For the past 2 or 3 years, we’ve had an informal virologists meeting between campus es. There will be opportunities with the Beadle Center to bring all of the areas of virology together.” “Reciuitingsomeonclike Dr. Wood is very important,” he said. “He’s not exclusively an AIDS virologist. He works on the molecular biology of HIV as well as the bovine immunode ficiency virus. A key here is the kind of research we expect to do in the Beadle Center is how human and an imal genes work." Wood will also bring more grant opportunities to UNL. “The major funding at UNL is from the USDA, but that is shrinking. We need to bring researchers in like Charles Wood so we can bring in funding from other agencies,” Morris said. “He has grants to work on HIV and the human herpes virus in excess of$l million.” Most of that funding is from the National Cancer Institute and from the National Institute of Health. Ac cording to the 1992-93 Annual Report of the Office of Sponsored Programs, UNL received no funding from either of these agencies last year. More grant opportunities may mean more researchers, and the strength of UNL’s program is based on the re search community, Morris said. “Our institution isn’t big enough or strong enough to be a number one research university, but we can have areas of excellence,” he said. “We’re getting there.” Larry Freeland sails away his afternoon at Holmes Lake. Jason Levkulich/DN barth to catch glimpse ot comet colliding with Jupiter By Paula Lavigne Staff Popottor With the force of 200,000 megatons of dynamite, a comet traveling 130,000 miles per hour will collide with Jupi ter on July 16, resulting in an explo sion more spectacular than even the largest nuclear bomb could ever pro duce. Erik Hublc, a supervisor at Hyde Observatory located in Holmes Park and member of the Prairie Astronomy Club, said the collision would be “more than anything man has ever seen or witnessed before.” The comet, named Shoemaker Levy 9 after its discoverers Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker and David Levy, approached Jupiter in 1992 and was trapped within the planet’s grav itational pull and ripped into 21 piec es. Compared to a giant “dirty snow ball" with a core of ice, snow and debris, the comet, with its trail of dust and gas, is about four kilometers in length. Its pieces are joined 1 ike a train that will intermittently hit the solar sys tem’s largest planet beginning July 16 and ending July 22. As spectacular a phenomenon as this might be, Huble said, very little to none of the impact will be seen from Earth. The comet will strike the planet on its backside from Earth’s point of view, Huble said, and since Jupiter is such a large planet, 144,810 kilomc tcrs in diameter, the comet is loo small to be seen. However, backyard star gazers arc not completely out of luck. “Jupiter has a nine hour and -50 minute rotation, so during an eight to 18 minute time span, Jupiter will ro tate around so we can see the area where they would have impacted,” he See COMET on 2