University Times

Jeff Lawrence, assistant professor in biological sciences, has been awarded a Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering. Given by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation (David is co-founder of computer giant Hewlett-Packard) the fellowship provides $100,000 per year for five years.

The fellowship is given to young researchers who have shown unusual creativity. Lawrence is doing research in molecular evolution. He is specifically looking at bacteria that produce vitamin B-12, an essential nutrient for humans. One hundred faculty members from 50 universities were nominated for Packard Fellowships in physics, chemistry, math, biology, astronomy, computer science, earth science, ocean science and all branches of engineering. Recipients were chosen by the foundation's scientific advisory committee, which is made up of scientists and engineers from Harvard, Yale, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the California Institute of Technology, Stanford and Cornell.