This action funds an NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2005. The goal of the fellowship is to increase the participation of minority scientists at the postdoctoral level and to prepare them for positions of scientific leadership in US science. To attain this goal, the fellowship provides opportunities for postdoctoral training and research of the highest quality to recent doctoral recipients. It is expected that Fellows supported through these fellowships will play important roles in training of the future workforce.
The research and training plan is entitled "The role of a protein Bub1 kinase in cell division." Mitosis is the stage of the cell cycle during which a duplicated genome is equally partitioned into each new daughter cell through the action of the mitotic spindle, a dynamic, microtubule-based machine. Protein phosphorylation by kinases plays a major role in regulating mitotic spindle function. These mechanisms are only partly understood. This research focuses on achieving a comprehensive understanding of one mitotic kinase, Bub1p, from budding yeast through phenotypic analysis of Bub1p inhibition in vivo and proteomic identification and characterization of Bub1p substrates. The training plan is to develop a new skill set in cell biology through regular discussions with the sponsoring scientist, participation in group meetings, departmental retreats, and national meetings in preparation for the transition to becoming an independent investigator.
