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K-State Today

June 28, 2012

Genetics doctoral student wins Outstanding Young Investigator Award at Gordon Research Conference

Submitted by Richard Todd

Cameron Hunter, plant pathology-based doctoral student in the interdisciplinary genetics graduate program, won a Eukaryotic Cell Outstanding Young Investigator award in recognition of a stellar research presentation at the 2012 Gordon Research Conference on Cellular and Molecular Fungal Biology, June 17-22, in Holderness, N.H. The prestigious Gordon Research Conferences provide an international forum for the presentation and discussion of frontier research in specific topic areas of the biological, chemical and physical sciences, and their technologies.

Hunter presented work characterizing multiple nuclear localization signals that direct a key transcription factor of nutrient metabolic genes to the nucleus of cells in the genetic model eukaryote Aspergillus nidulans. Aspergillus species are an important and prevalent group of fungi that degrade complex biological matter, cause disease in humans, animals and plants, and are exploited in industry to produce enzymes and metabolites used in a wide range of processes, including food and beverage production.

The award, sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology, includes a one-year subscription to the journal Eukaryotic Cell and expedited review of his next submission to the journal. Hunter's faculty mentor is Richard Todd, assistant professor of plant pathology.