MRI 2004 News Releases

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12.8.04
Scientists Discuss Hydrogen as Alternative Fuel

10.26.04
“Research in Proteomics: Exploring Protein/Ligand Interactions and Searching for the Antigen Causing Type I Diabetes”

9.20.04
Linda Cook Joins Midwest Research Institute

9.15.04
BioTerrorism Experts Discuss “The Hot Zone”

8.3.04
Two MRI Executives Named to Kansas Bioscience Authority

8.03.04
The Oceans and Human Health: Drugs from the Deep

6.18.04
Gail Shrager Joins Midwest Research Institute

6.9.04
MRI Announces Retirement of National Renewable Energy Laboratory Director Richard Truly

6.1.04
Viewing Science With Today’s Technology

5.18.04
Midwest Research Institute on Winning Team for Contract to Protect Military Bases

5.10.04
Former Soviet weapons expert Ken Alibek speaks at MRI

2.2.04
Midwest Research Institute Receives Four-Year DOE Contract Extension
to Manage National Renewable Energy Laboratory

1.9.04
National Biodefense Webcast Features MRI Scientists

1.9.04
Sandra Lawrence Joins Midwest Research Institute

Media Inquiries:

Linda Cook
Vice President Corporate Communications
816-360-1943

Scientists Discuss Hydrogen as Alternative Fuel

(Kansas City, MO) December 8, 2004—As President Bush’s hydrogen initiative strives to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil, scientists have stepped up efforts in recent years to develop alternative automotive fuels.

David Bodde, former vice president of Midwest Research Institute now senior fellow at Clemson University, and Michael Heben, of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, will discuss the challenges of switching to a hydrogen-based economy in MRI’s final 2004 Salute to Science Seminar.

Their presentation is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 8, at Midwest Research Institute’s Arthur Mag Conference Center, 4920 Cherry St., Kansas City, Mo.

In discussing "The Fight for the Future,’’ Bodde will focus on the competitive transition now taking place in the auto sector from the internal combustion engine to the hybrid electric vehicles and, ultimately, to the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.

NREL senior scientist Mike Heben and colleagues are in the forefront as science tries to unearth new ways to harness hydrogen and find clean, economical ways to store it—both for use in the transportation industry and for electricity production.

Heben, team leader for NREL's nanostructured materials group, has spent 14 years at NREL in the Center for Basic Sciences and the last 12 working on hydrogen research projects funded by the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). Other projects in the group looking into charge and energy in nanoscale systems and properties of new membranes are funded by DOE’s Office of Science. MRI has managed NREL since 1977.

Heben graduated from John Carroll University in 1984 with a B.S. in physics, from Stanford University in 1986 with an M.S. in materials science and engineering, and from California Institute of Technology in 1990 with a Ph.D. in chemistry.

At Clemson University in South Carolina, Bodde holds a joint appointment in the College of Business & Behavioral Science and the College of Engineering & Science, and is a Senior Fellow of the Arthur M. Spiro Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership.

With extensive experience in energy policy and creating new businesses from technology, his current research focuses on the role of entrepreneurs in the innovation and commercialization of energy technologies.

Prior to joining Clemson, Bodde held the Charles N. Kimball Chair in Technology and Innovation at the Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration at the University of Missouri–Kansas City. From 1991-1996, he was MRI corporate vice president and president of MRI’s for-profit subsidiary, MRI Ventures.

He holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Harvard University; M.S. degrees in nuclear engineering and management, both from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and a B.S. from the U.S. Military Academy.

For more on Bodde, visit Clemson's Spiro Center.

For more on Heben and his work, visit NREL's Center for Basic Sciences and view details of his work.

For more information on NREL’s research in hydrogen and fuel cells, click here.

To attend the seminar, please contact Laura Luckert, 816-360-1902, at Midwest Research Institute.

“Research in Proteomics: Exploring Protein/Ligand Interactions and Searching for the Antigen Causing Type I Diabetes”

(Kansas City, MO) October 26, 2004—Midwest Research Institute, in its Salute to Science Seminar series, part of the Institute’s 60th Anniversary celebration, is proud to present Washington University’s Michael Gross, Ph.D., as its October speaker. His discussion of proteomics and mass spectrometry, “Research in Proteomics: Exploring Protein/Ligand Interactions and Searching for the Antigen Causing Type I Diabetes,” is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2004, in the Arthur Mag Conference Center, 4920 Cherry Street, with a reception following. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Gross is Professor of Chemistry, Medicine, and Immunology, and Director of the Washington University Center for Biomedical and Bioorganic Mass Spectrometry. He is the principal investigator for the NIH Mass Spectrometry Research Resource at Washington University. Gross has been at Washington University since 1994.

Proteomics, the sequel to genomics, seeks to understand protein expression and its consequences. It uses mass spectrometry (MS) to identify proteins, quantify them, and determine post-translational modifications. Gross will discuss an unusual application of proteomics involving immunology in which he and his coworkers characterize the properties of antigenic peptides are models for the antigen that causes type I diabetes. He also plans to discuss a new application of MS in proteomics in which one can use H/D exchange to provide information on protein/protein and protein/ligand interactions, an area of high importance in biophysics and drug discovery.

Gross is a member of the American Chemical Society, American Society for Mass Spectrometry, Sigma Xi, and Phi Lambda Upsilon. He is currently editor of the Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry and the Encyclopedia of Mass Spectrometry. Gross holds a B.A. (Cum Laude) in chemistry from St. John's University in Minnesota, and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Minnesota.

For more information on Gross, click here or here.

To attend the seminar, please contact Laura Luckert, 816-753-7600, x1902, at Midwest Research Institute.

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Linda Cook Joins Midwest Research Institute

(Kansas City, MO) September 20, 2004—Linda Cook, a communications professional with more than 20 years of experience at General Motors, has joined MRI as Director of Communications. In this new position for the Institute, Cook will oversee community relations and other external communications.

“Linda’s extensive experience in all areas of Communications will help bring increased recognition to the Institute for its innovative, technical excellence and growth,” said Steve Lufkin, Senior Vice President of Technology and Strategic Business Development at MRI.

Cook began her career in 1977 as communications editor at the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, KS. Following a succession of assignments and promotions, Cook was named Director of Public Affairs for GM's North American Operations, in Detroit, MI. Throughout her career she gained extensive experience in media relations, marketing communications, product promotions, industry-government relations, community relations, and employee communications. While at GM, she also developed a career background in strategic business planning and was named Director of Business Planning for GM Commercial Trucks.

In addition to her GM background, Cook most recently served as a consultant for Compass Group, an executive search firm in Birmingham, MI.

She holds a B.S. in Journalism and Mass Communications from Kansas State University and was selected as a Sloan Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she received an MBA.

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(Kansas City, MO) September 15, 2004—In 1989, in a quarantine facility in the town of Reston, Va., a lethal virus broke out among imported monkeys. America faced an outbreak of the highly contagious Ebola virus, which kills by massive internal hemorrhage and is capable of jumping from one species to another. It has been said that Ebola does in 10 days what HIV does in 10 years.

Jerry Jaax led a team of space-suited Army soldiers into the hot zone and successfully contained the outbreak. Meanwhile, in a top security lab at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Nancy Jaax conducted emergency autopsies on the monkeys to determine the cause of their deaths. The work of Jerry and Nancy Jaax drew attention to the dangers facing America as newer, deadlier viruses develop.

Midwest Research Institute, in its Salute to Science Seminar series, part of the Institute’s 60th Anniversary celebration, is proud to present Jerry and Nancy Jaax as its September speakers. Their presentation, “Return to the Hot Zone,’’ is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2004, in the Arthur Mag Conference Center, 4920 Cherry Street, with a reception following. The couple plans to provide an overview of emerging disease issues and response strategies, especially as it relates to the Midwest’s agricultural infrastructure. The 45-minute presentation will be followed by a 15-minute question-and-answer session. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Jerry Jaax is now Kansas State University’s associate vice provost for research compliance and university veterinarian. His wife, Nancy Jaax, is Special Projects Officer in the Office of Sponsored Research Programs at Kansas State University.
Their work in 1989 with the Reston Ebola outbreak was detailed in Richard Preston's best-selling book, The Hot Zone, and inspired the film Outbreak, starring Dustin Hoffman.

Considered leading experts on bioterrorism, Cols. Jerry and Nancy Jaax have been on the front lines of the fight against Ebola, anthrax, Congo fever, and other deadly viruses that exist around the globe. Their research and field work have helped to develop medical defenses against chemical and biological agents.

Jerry and Nancy Jaax are both graduates of Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

For more information on Jerry Jaax, visit http://www.vet.ksu.edu/depts/alumni/awards/jjaax.htm
Or
http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/WEB/News/MediaGuide/jaaxbio.html

For more information on Nancy Jaax, visit http://www.vet.ksu.edu/depts/alumni/awards/njaax.htm

Click here to watch the 40-second Fox 4 News video clip of Jerry Jaax discussing The Hot Zone at MRI.

Two MRI Executives Named to Kansas Bioscience Authority

(Kansas City, MO) August 3, 2004—Sandra Lawrence, MRI Senior Vice President and Treasurer, and David Franz, D.V.M. and Ph.D., MRI Chief Bioscience Officer, have been named by Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to the Kansas Bioscience Authority, which was established to promote bioscience in the state.

Sandra Lawrence received her A.B. in psychology, with an emphasis in statistics from Vassar College, and a master’s in architecture with a focus on urban design and civil engineering from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. At MRI, she oversees the Institute’s business management, human resources, information technology, and facilities operations.

David Franz, a Kansas native, has a D.V.M. degree from Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and a Ph.D. in physiology from the Baylor College of Medicine. He is a retired Army Colonel who has served as Commander of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick, Md.

The Oceans and Human Health: Drugs from the Deep

(Kansas City, MO) August 3, 2004—Shirley Pomponi, Ph.D., Acting Managing Director of the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution in Ft. Pierce, Fla., will discuss the use of marine resources for drug discovery at Midwest Research Institute’s upcoming Salute to Science Seminar.

The seminar, part of the Institute’s 60th Anniversary celebration, is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2004, in the Arthur Mag Conference Center, 4920 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Mo.

Dr. Pomponi was one of only two Floridians to serve on the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy's Science Advisory Panel. She is a member of the Ocean Studies Board of the National Academy of Science. She holds a doctorate in Biological Oceanography from the University of Miami.

Pomponi leads the Marine Invertebrate Cell Culture Program in the Division of Biomedical Marine Research. Her research emphasizes the development of methods for sustainable use of marine resources for drug discovery and development. Research focuses on establishing cell lines of marine sponges that can be used as models to study production of sponge-derived bioactive metabolites and the factors that control expression of production.

The Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution is involved in research and education in the marine sciences; biological, chemical, and environmental sciences; marine biomedical sciences; marine mammal conservation; aquaculture; and ocean engineering. The staff includes more than 250 scientists, engineers, mariners, and support personnel.

For more information on Pomponi and the Division of Biomedical Marine Research, visit http://www.hboi.edu/dbmr/dbmr_home.html

Gail Shrager Joins Midwest Research Institute

(Kansas City, MO) June 18, 2004—Gail M. Shrager joined MRI on June 1 as General Counsel and Director of Corporate Human Resources. In the new position, Shrager will oversee MRI’s Legal and HR departments.

As General Counsel, Shrager succeeds Don Kornreich, who retired and is serving as legal advisor to MRI.

Shrager has more than 20 years of experience in employment law, civil litigation, and alternative dispute resolution.

She began her career as an attorney in 1982 at Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP. She was partner and co-chair of the Employment Departments at Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin LLP and Husch & Eppenberger LLC law firms. In 1993, she formed her own law firm, Hudek & Associates, specializing in employment law.

From 1998 until joining MRI, Shrager has operated a private consulting practice on employment and business matters for corporate clients nationally.

Shrager has master's and bachelor’s degrees in sociology from the University of Oregon. Her law degree is from the Columbus School of Law, The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

MRI Announces Retirement of National Renewable Energy Laboratory Director Richard Truly

(Kansas City, MO) June 9, 2004—Jim Spigarelli, president and CEO of Midwest Research Institute, announced late yesterday that Vice Admiral Richard H. Truly, director of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), plans to retire in early November 2004 after more than seven years as NREL’s director. Midwest Research Institute manages and operates the national laboratory for DOE, which is located in Golden, Colo.

“Under Richard, the Laboratory has made great strides in the area of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. R&D, Discover, and Popular Science magazines consistently rank NREL’s research achievements among the nation’s most significant technology innovations,” said Spigarelli.

In a letter to staff, Truly said, “I honestly believe that it is at the intersection of our energy use, our environment, our economic well being and our national security that society finds the greatest engineering and scientific challenges on Earth today. Each of you at NREL are at the heart of this challenge and opportunity.”

Before joining NREL, Truly was vice president of the Georgia Institute of Technology, and director of the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) from 1992 - 1997. He was NASA's eighth Administrator under President Bush from 1989-92, and his career in aviation and space programs of the U.S. Navy and NASA spanned 35 years. He retired as a vice admiral after a Navy career of more than 30 years. President Ronald Reagan awarded the Presidential Citizen’s Medal to Admiral Truly in 1989.

Truly is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and is the recipient of honorary doctorates of science from Millsaps College and Duquesne University, and honorary doctorates of engineering from Colorado School of Mines and Stevens Institute of Technology.

Active in national and community affairs, he has served on the Board of Visitors to the U.S. Naval Academy, the Defense Policy Board and the Army Science Board. He is a member of the Colorado Governor’s Commission on Science and Technology and a member of the Regis University Board of Trustees.

After his retirement, Truly plans to live in Colorado with his wife and family.

Viewing Science With Today’s Technology

(Kansas City, MO) June 1, 2004—Drs. Steve Hammond, director of the Computational Sciences Center at the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, Colo., and Paul M. Kulesa, director of the Imaging Center at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, are the featured speakers at Midwest Research Institute’s upcoming Salute to Science Seminar.

The seminar will be at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 1, 2004, in the Arthur Mag Conference Center, 4920 Cherry Street, Kansas City, MO.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, is the U. S. Department of Energy's premier laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research.

In his talk, "The role of Computational Science in Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy Research," Hammond will discuss numerical modeling and simulation used at NREL in material design, biomass conversion, hybrid vehicle components, hydrogen production, and hydrogen storage. He will highlight how data visualization gives scientists new insights into fundamental mechanisms and processes involved in these areas.

Hammond has a Ph.D. in computer science from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., and master’s and bachelor degrees from the University of Rochester.

Kulesa holds a dual appointment as an assistant professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

In his talk, “InVivo Imaging of Embryonic Development,’’ Kulesa will present aspects of the design of innovative invivo culture and imaging techniques for chick and mouse embryos, including new cell labeling methods to follow single cell movements of fluorescently labeled cells within embryos.

Kulesa’s research involves combining embryology and molecular biology with bioimaging and computational modeling. The Imaging Center follows marked cells using video, laser scanning confocal and two-photon, multispectral microscopy.

Kulesa joined Stowers after completing a Burroughs Wellcome Fund postdoctoral fellowship at the California Institute of Technology. He holds a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from the University of Washington.

For more information on Hammond, visit http://www.nrel.gov/csc/hammond.html
For more information on Kulesa, visit http://www.stowers-institute.org/labs/KulesaLab.asp

Midwest Research Institute on Winning Team for Contract to Protect Military Bases

(Kansas City, MO) May 18, 2004—Midwest Research Institute (MRI) announced today that it is part of a team led by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) that has been awarded a contract from the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command in Huntsville, Ala., to help protect 200 military installations worldwide.

This cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Guardian Installation Protection Program Lead Systems Integrator will be performed over a base of three years with the potential of earning up to three one-year award terms. The cumulative value of the contract is $390 million.

The program was awarded to the team led by San Diego-based SAIC, with team mates MRI and Johnson Controls, of Cape Canaveral, Fla.

The SAIC-led team will provide an integrated chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) protection capability at 200 Department of Defense installations and facilities worldwide.

The installation Protection Program is a Family of Systems that supplements other aspects of force protection against potential weapons of mass destruction. The Family of Systems will include capability for CBRN detection, identification, warning, reporting, decision support, individual and collective protection, emergency response, decontamination, medical countermeasures, medical diagnostics, and medical surveillance components and will be tailored to the needs of each installation.

MRI's role will be multi-divisional and include such activities as equipment testing and evaluation, equipment installation and training, and sampling and analysis.

"Being on the winning team for this contract is a testament to MRI's expertise and excellent reputation in the area of biological and chemical defense,” said MRI President and CEO Jim Spigarelli. “We are delighted with the news and eager to roll up our sleeves and get to work.”

In the bidding process, the SAIC-led team beat such competitors as Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Bechtel/Battelle, Boeing, and others.

Former Soviet weapons expert Ken Alibek speaks at MRI

(Kansas City, MO) May 10, 2004—For nearly two decades, Ken Alibek developed biological weapons for the former Soviet Union. Born Kanatjan Alibekov in Kazakhstan, he was considered an expert in turning anthrax and a dozen other killer germs into invisible missiles. In 1992, he defected to the United States, changed his name, and became a U.S. citizen.
In May, Dr. Alibek is the featured speaker at Midwest Research Institute’s Salute to Science Seminar. The series is open to the public at no cost.

Alibek, author of "Biohazard" (1999), has discussed with audiences the horrors of biological weapons, threats of smallpox falling into the hands of terrorists, and the threat of a North Korean biological weapons program.

Today, Alibek is Distinguished Professor of Medical Microbiology and Immunology and Executive Director for Education at the National Center for Biodefense at George Mason University in Virginia. For more information on Alibek or the Biodefense Center, visit http://www.gmu.edu/centers/biodefense/

Midwest Research Institute Receives Four-Year DOE Contract Extension
to Manage National Renewable Energy Laboratory

(Kansas City, MO) February 2, 2004—Midwest Research Institute (MRI) in Kansas City received a four-year contract extension to manage and operate the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. The NREL contract was last competed in 1998 and this extends MRI’s management for the full 10 years. Midwest Research Institute has managed NREL since the Laboratory’s founding as the Solar Energy Research Institute in 1977. MRI is teamed with Battelle Memorial Institute of Columbus, Ohio, to manage and operate the Laboratory.

NREL is the Department of Energy's premier laboratory for renewable energy research and development and a leading laboratory for energy efficiency R&D. “NREL and its sister facilities are truly the crown jewels of the Energy Department, and, I think, of the federal government,” Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said during a recent visit to the Laboratory. “The cutting-edge work that is done in this laboratory to bring about some of the remarkable R&D breakthroughs we’ve had is to be commended.”

Since its inception, NREL has earned 35 R&D 100 awards, which R&D Magazine announces annually to recognize the year's 100 most significant technological innovations. The Laboratory also was recognized in the Scientific American 50 for developing the world’s most efficient land-based solar cell. The Laboratory recently was named systems integrator for DOE’s hydrogen program, a vital role in moving the nation toward a hydrogen economy.

"MRI is honored to continue its management role at NREL,” MRI President and CEO Jim Spigarelli said. “This action by DOE recognizes the excellent work by Admiral Richard Truly and his management team at NREL. Few national initiatives are considered more important than reducing our country’s dependence on foreign oil, and part of the equation involves developing renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. NREL is the nation’s leading research laboratory in this area.”

National Biodefense Webcast Features MRI Scientists

(Kansas City, MO) January 9, 2004—A special webcast, “Biodefense: Research, Resources, and Responsibility,” that features scientists and staff members from Midwest Research Institute headquartered in Kansas City, will air Thursday, Jan. 15, beginning at 2 p.m. cst.

The webcast was created by a team of local research administrators, lead by William Caskey, PhD, Director of Research and Grants at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics. It will be hosted by the Society of Research Administrators International, a nonprofit association dedicated to the education and the professional development of research administrators and can be viewed by visiting www.srainternational.org.

The webcast will include segments with individual speakers, panel presentations, interactive discussions, and on-location tours that feature topics such as funding strategies and opportunities, emergency response, scientific freedom and national security, and strategies for the nonproliferation of biological weapons.

One of the featured webcast participants is MRI’s David Franz, D.V.M. and Ph.D., who works in the Institute’s Frederick, Md., office. Franz, a Kansas native, is a retired Army Colonel who served in the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, and is a former Commander of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick, Md. Franz has served as chief inspector on three U.N. special commission biological warfare inspection missions to Iraq.

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Sandra Lawrence Joins Midwest Research Institute

(Kansas City, MO) January 9, 2004—Midwest Research Institute recently named Sandra Lawrence as Senior Vice President and Treasurer. In this capacity, she will oversee MRI’s business management, human resources, information technology and facilities operations.

Lawrence joined MRI several years ago as Director of its Center for Regional Development. She left to become a General Manager and then Vice President of Administration for Gateway and most recently was President and CEO of Global Packing Solutions, Inc. Prior to coming to MRI, she was president of Stern Bros., an investment banking firm.

Lawrence is returning to MRI at an important juncture in the Institute’s 60-year history. MRI is an independent, not-for-profit laboratory that conducts scientific research and technology development for government and industry. Currently, the Institute is experiencing an upswing in business and is dealing with some of the nation’s most challenging problems in defense, energy and life sciences. Sandra Lawrence will join two other recently appointed senior vice presidents, Michael Helmstetter and Steve Lufkin, to form the Kansas City Senior Management Team, which reports to President and CEO Jim Spigarelli.

"Sandra, along with Michael and Steve, represents the future of MRI,” said Spigarelli. “We have an unprecedented number of opportunities in front of us, so there is no question we will continue to grow. But we want to grow in a smart, sustainable manner. This is the management team to ensure that happens.”

Lawrence, who grew up in Columbia, S.C., received her A.B. in psychology, with an emphasis in statistics, from Vassar College. She went on to The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she earned a master’s in architecture with a focus on urban design and civil engineering. She later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Lawrence’s current Kansas City civic obligations include service on the Executive Committee of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation and Affiliated Trusts, The Kansas City Market Board of US Bank, Dunn Industries, The Hall Family Foundation Board and The Children’s Mercy Hospital Board.

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