The Howard and Helen Russell Award for Excellence in Biological Research

The Howard and Helen Russell Award for Excellence in Biological Research, established by family and friends, underscores the Russell family's strong support for liberal arts education and the university. Howard and Helen Russell are the grandparents of esteemed Lawrence biology professors Beth De Stasio '83 (also the Raymond H. Herzog Professor of Science) and Bart De Stasio '82. This year, the award is given in honor of Roger Schoenfeld, Beth De Stasio's father, and recognizes excellence in biological research at the college. Reeshi Bhattacharjee, Dhaka, Bangladesh, is a thoughtful and creative scientist who pays great attention to detail. He has mastered of a diverse array of experimental techniques and has achieved a deep understanding of the theory behind his laboratory work. Reeshi adeptly transfers knowledge from courses to his intellectual pursuits and informs his research with critical reading of the primary literature. Over the past 2 years, Reeshi has made numerous contributions toward the development of prokaryotic and eukaryotic expression systems for the human ribonuclease inhibitor protein, which will serve as valuable tools in the study of how human cells cope with stress.