Nobel Laureates to meet with outstanding LANL students

May 23, 2011—Two outstanding Laboratory students will be attending the 61st Meeting of Nobel Laureates o be held June 26 to July 1 in Lindau, Germany.

Graduate students Dominique Price (Chemistry Division) and Michael Jablin (Lujan Neutron Scattering Center at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center) have been selected to attend the event.

Attendance at the Lindau Nobel Laureates Meeting is highly competitive, with 500 individuals accepted from over 20,000 applicants.

Continuing a tradition established in 1951, Nobel Laureates in chemistry, physics, medicine, and physiology convene annually in Lindau to exchange knowledge with graduate students and junior researchers from around the world. The focus of this year's meeting is on physiology or medicine.

Fast facts about Dominique Price:

• Student status: Doctoral student in the University of New Mexico Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program.
• Lab group: The Biosensor Team in the Physical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy Group
• Works with: Harshini Mukundan (mentor) and Aaron Anderson
• Research: The Biosensor Team is developing new biosensor technologies for rapid diagnosis of pathogens. Their focus is on the use of multichannel waveguides to detect such pathogens as anthrax, botulism, influenza, breast cancer, and tuberculosis. Price’s efforts have been on the development of assays for the detection of tuberculosis.
• Publications: Co-author on five peer-reviewed research publications from the Biosensor team in such journals as Analytical Chemistry and Journal of the American Chemical Society. She will feature on four other manuscripts currently in preparation. She is also co-investigator in one provisional patent application that has been licensed by a private company for technology commercialization.
• What her mentor says: “Of all the students that I have mentored in my career, I would put Dominique among the top 0.1 percent. Her dedication and perseverance are commendable….she is always ready to try new approaches, explore alternative strategies and validate her hypothesis, often working long hours to achieve her goals.” (Mukundan).

Fast facts about Michael Jablin:

• Student status: Graduate student in the Carnegie Mellon University Physics Program
• Lab group: Lujan Neutron Scattering Center at LANSCE
• Works with: Jarek Majewski (mentor), Alan Hurd, and others
• Research: Biomembranes. Jablin worked with Majewski and Lujan Neutron Scattering Center Director Alan Hurd on a problem involving gel films underneath biomembranes for detailed neutron reflectometry studies. Called “cushioned membranes,” Jablin’s research, published in Physical Review Letters, established that the cushion provides important hydration to the support-side of the membrane, which provides an in vivo-like environment.
• Publications: four publications in Physical Review Letters and Biophysics Journal, among others. A fifth paper under review in Physical Review Letters will be his second first authorship.
• What his mentor says: “It is rare to find someone with all the desired qualities of a future star in creative research, and Michael is one. Jablin has a [fast] start in high-profile publications . . . [he] has interacted with nearly 100 Lujan collaborators on research topics, an auspicious start to a career.” (Majewski).