Ph.D. candidate Natalie Vaisman of the Frydman Lab was the recent recipient of the Terner Award for 2019. Natalie’s research consists in characterizing Wolbachia in fruit fly guts and their effects in this tissue. Wolbachia are bacteria that live inside insects’ cells and are currently being used to prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, such as Zika and Dengue. The Terner Award provides support for a CM or MCBB Ph.D. candidate who has made significant contributions to their field. Charles Terner was a Professor of Biology at Boston University for over 20 years before he retired in 1985. Dr. Terner specialized in biochemistry and focused his research on the metabolic properties of male reproductive cells. The award was established in his memory after he passed away in 1998.
Natalie was also a recent recipient of a BU Women’s Guild Scholarship Award. Natalie is a social chair of the Graduate Women in Science and Engineering at BU, a volunteer at the Massachusetts Association of Women in Science, and an associate board member of the Anti-Defamation League.