Congratulations to the following recipients of the WBMSDG Young Investigator Travel Awards traveling to ASMS:

Melissa Leyden, University of Virginia (Advisor: Don F. Hunt), 1st place: “Characterization of Insect Sperm Nuclear Basic Proteins by Liquid Chromatography – Tandem Mass Spectrometry”

Juliet Obi, University of Maryland Baltimore (Advisor: Daniel Deredge), 2nd place: “A Structural and Dynamic Basis for the Interactions of the Dengue Nonstructural (NS5) Protein with Stem Loop A (SLA)”

Bay Xu, Johns Hopkins University (Advisor: Hui Zhang), 3rd place: “SPOT: Spatial Proteomics through On-site Tissue-protein-labeling”

The Washington-Baltimore Mass Spectrometry Discussion Group (WBMSDG) is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the 2024 Young Investigator Travel Awards and Georges Guiochon Student Award. Awards will be granted to outstanding young investigators at the undergraduate or graduate student level to support travel to the 72nd ASMS Conference and HPLC 2024, respectively. Undergraduate and graduate students in laboratories and institutions traditionally associated with the WBMSDG and the former Washington Chromatography Discussion Group in the following geographic regions are encouraged to apply: from Richmond and Charlottesville, VA to the South and Newark, DE to the North.

Three Young Investigator Travel Awards will be given. 1st place: $1000, 2nd place: $750, 3rd place: $500.
Two Georges Guiochon Student Awards will be given. 1st place: $1000, 2nd place: honorable certificate.

Complete applications for either award consist of the following items:
1. 2024 application form for Young Investigator Travel Award or Georges Guiochon Student Award (includes a checklist)
2. Electronic copy of ASMS/HPLC abstract
3. Evidence of abstract acceptance indicating the presentation format (poster or oral)
4. Curriculum Vitae or Resume
5. Two-page summary of research project (figures can be included)
6. Letter of recommendation from advisor

Applicants should submit items 1-5 listed above as a single PDF file to Dr. Andy Qi. Item 6 must be sent directly by the applicant’s advisor to Dr. Andy Qi:

Andy Qi, PhD
WBMSDG co-chair
andy.qi@nih.gov

The deadline for all applications is 5 PM EST on Thursday, May 2nd, 2024. A panel of WBMSDG members will act as reviewers. Please note, previous winners are encouraged to apply if the award application for the upcoming ASMS/HPLC conference significantly differs from the previously successful application. In the event that the conference is cancelled, awards will be given out as well as prize amounts up to the full award to cover any incurred costs associated with travel. Successful applicants to both awards will be expected to give a 10-minute oral presentation at the post-ASMS WBMSDG meeting on June 12th, 2024, at Shimadzu Scientific in Columbia, MD.

This award is part of our Englund Emerging Scholar Award program received an INSIGHT Into Diversity ‘Inspiring Programs in STEM’ award in 2023, which is noted on the BC website: https://biolchem.bs.jhmi.edu/englund-emerging-scholars/

Applicants at the postdoctoral or assistant professor level are invited in all areas of mechanistic biology.

The review group will evaluate applications on demonstrated scientific contributions and potential for impact on the field, as well as record and vision in creating a diverse and inclusive future in science. We anticipate that 3-5 awards will be made; awardees will be recognized and invited to present a seminar in the spring of our BC seminar series and will receive an honorarium. Applicants will be asked to use this Qualtrics link:
https://jh.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8iyfiZ0pAYcXRiK

2023 Washington-Baltimore MSDG Young Investigator Travel Award Recipients

Congratulations to the following recipients of the WBMSDG Young Investigator Travel Awards

Bowen Shen, University of Maryland (Advisor: Peter Nemes), 1st place: “Electrophoresis-Correlative Mass Spectrometry Enables Ultrasensitive Proteomics”

Ashley Frankenfield, George Washington University (Advisor: Ling Hao), 2nd place: “Deep Proteome Turnover in human iPSC-derived Neurons”

Delaney Rutherford, National Institute on Aging (Advisor: Nathan Basisty), 3rd place: “Mass Spectrometry Analysis with Cellular Thermal Shift Assay to Assess Senolytic Pathways in Senescent Monocytes”