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  1. #1

    Duke Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

    Robert J. Lefkowitz, James B. Duke Professor of Medicine at Duke since 1982, just won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry! He shares it with Stanford medical professor Brian Kobilka, who actually ALSO has a Duke connection as he did his postdoctoral fellowship under Lefkowitz at Duke. They won for their work with G protein-coupled receptors, which could aid in the development of new drugs. I believe Lefkowitz is only the second Duke professor in history to win a Nobel Prize for research done at Duke / was a current professor at the time of the award - the first being Gertrude Elion.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Manhattan
    Huge deal on campus! Everyone's so proud to be at such a great university. Congrats Dr. Lefkowitz!

    *As an aside, Brodhead's e-mail to the entire Duke community was sent to "everybody@duke.edu". Got a kick out of that.

  3. #3
    Heard this on NPR this morning! What a glorious feather for the cap!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Undisclosed
    Very nice honor, congratulations!

    (I assume the good doctor reads this board, because the G protein-coupled receptor must be named after Mike "G-Man" Gminski).

  5. #5
    Can a mod please fix my typo in the thread title? "Chemsitry" -> "Chemistry." Sorry about that. The Chronicle notes that Dr. Lefkowitz is the "first regular-ranked Duke faculty member to win a Nobel Prize," so perhaps my assertion about Elion was incorrect; or perhaps, she simply was not "regular-rank" or The Chronicle is wrong. In any event, great accomplishment! Seems like the studies have already been hugely impaction in the creation of drugs over the past several years.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Rougemont Nebulae
    Really? Lefkowitz? R.J. Lefkowitz? Well this is all very quaint but the announcement sounds a specious tone. I'm sure R.J. balances a mean equation but clearly no one at Duke knows as much about chemistry as Coach K.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Bluedog View Post
    ... I believe Lefkowitz is only the second Duke professor in history to win a Nobel Prize for research done at Duke / was a current professor at the time of the award - the first being Gertrude Elion.
    Here's the list of Duke affiliations of past winners:

    http://today.duke.edu/2012/10/dukenobel

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Undisclosed
    Quote Originally Posted by Reilly View Post
    Here's the list of Duke affiliations of past winners:

    http://today.duke.edu/2012/10/dukenobel
    Nate James once turned down a Nobel Prize because he didn't like their stance on "peace"

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by OldPhiKap View Post
    Nate James once turned down a Nobel Prize because he didn't like their stance on "peace"
    I'd heard he was upset that Alfred Nobel is credited with "inventing" dynamite and Nate couldn't understand how somebody could "invent" what he knows to be a common stomach acid.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Columbus, Ohio
    Tremendous accomplishment. Congratulations to the professor, his colleagues, and his students past and present.

    Duke has racked up the hardware this year: Nobel Prize, Gold Medal, NBA Championship trophy...

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Tampa
    If we were FSU fans, we would ask how this helped the football team. Then we would probably go tell him to get rid of the president, AD and Jimbo and work on getting us to a new conference.

    Sadly I'm being somewhat serious.

    Fortunately this is why we are Duke fans. Congrats to the professor!

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham at heart
    Bob was my post doctoral mentor at Duke, and I spent most of the day in the lab today. This could not have happened to a more deserving person, nor a better person and mentor. It's has been the awesomest of the awesome today!

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by MulletMan View Post
    Bob was my post doctoral mentor at Duke, and I spent most of the day in the lab today. This could not have happened to a more deserving person, nor a better person and mentor. It's has been the awesomest of the awesome today!
    Since my DD is in the depths of college apps I decided to check to see whether Dr. Lefkowitz teaches any undergraduate courses, as some of her target schools make such a claim (I'm well aware that the best researchers may not necessarily be the best teachers, though). Although I didn't find him listed for any courses for Fall 2012, I did find a blog about undergrads doing HHMI research during summers in his lab and they rave about the experience. So that's still pretty cool.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Manhattan
    Quote Originally Posted by cspan37421 View Post
    Since my DD is in the depths of college apps I decided to check to see whether Dr. Lefkowitz teaches any undergraduate courses, as some of her target schools make such a claim (I'm well aware that the best researchers may not necessarily be the best teachers, though). Although I didn't find him listed for any courses for Fall 2012, I did find a blog about undergrads doing HHMI research during summers in his lab and they rave about the experience. So that's still pretty cool.
    Yeah, one of my good friends works in the Lefkowitz lab. Pretty neat!

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Watching carolina Go To HELL!
    Somewhere on the DBR, possibly in an article on the main page, someone publicized Bob Lefkowitz’s memoir and said those who per-ordered the book would receive a signed book jacket. Sounded cool to me! I did that, got the book a few weeks later after release and then got a "sticker" in the mail with his signature on it. Not a signed book jacket, but a sticker. Gee, that's wonderful (NOT!).

    Today I got an email from the lady (Icee Li, lab manager) who I sent my name and proof of purchase to. Here is the exchange:
    In a message dated 3/19/2021 8:59:58 AM Eastern Standard Time, yl703@duke.edu writes:
    Dear all,

    Thank you for pre-ordering Bob Lefkowitz’s memoir, we hope that you are enjoying the book! By now you should have received a signed bookplate from the publisher. However, if you have not yet received that bookplate, please contact me with your address once more so I can check for you.

    For International recipients, please note that our local postal services are still working on your bookplate shipment. If you still do not see a bookplate in your mailbox in 2 weeks, please contact me with your address and I will be able to assist you.

    Icee Li
    Lab Manager
    Robert J. Lefkowitz, M.D.
    Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
    James B. Duke Professor of Medicine
    Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry
    Duke University Medical Center
    PO Box 3821 Durham, NC 27710
    Phone: (919) 684-2974
    Fax: (919) 684-8875
    Email: yl703@duke.edu

    And here's what I wrote to her in reply:


    Icee,

    I received what you call a "bookplate" but I was expecting a signed jacket cover, not just a signed "sticker" to stick into my book. I was, and still am, very disappointed in what I received compared to what was promised on the DBR.

    OZZIE4DUKE







    Just thought y'all should know. If I get any reply from Icee, I'll let you know that too.
    Ozzie, your paradigm of optimism!

    Go To Hell carolina, Go To Hell!
    9F 9F 9F
    https://ecogreen.greentechaffiliate.com

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Watching carolina Go To HELL!
    Quote Originally Posted by OZZIE4DUKE View Post
    Somewhere on the DBR, possibly in an article on the main page, someone publicized Bob Lefkowitz’s memoir and said those who per-ordered the book would receive a signed book jacket. Sounded cool to me! I did that, got the book a few weeks later after release and then got a "sticker" in the mail with his signature on it. Not a signed book jacket, but a sticker. Gee, that's wonderful (NOT!).

    Today I got an email from the lady (Icee Li, lab manager) who I sent my name and proof of purchase to. Here is the exchange:

    Just thought y'all should know. If I get any reply from Icee, I'll let you know that too.
    Let me add, this is the first time I've ordered something like this. Was my expectation reasonable?
    Ozzie, your paradigm of optimism!

    Go To Hell carolina, Go To Hell!
    9F 9F 9F
    https://ecogreen.greentechaffiliate.com

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    On the Road to Nowhere
    Quote Originally Posted by OZZIE4DUKE View Post
    Let me add, this is the first time I've ordered something like this. Was my expectation reasonable?
    I'd say so. But to really assess the situation, I'd need to see the page that you ordered it from, and I doubt you saved a screenshot. Even the DBR info could have been wrong, they misrepresented it or more probably got bad information or misunderstood it.

    I'd ask Icee Li to send you a signed book jacket. Or mail her yours, I'm pretty sure the doc would sign it. You'd probably even get a personal note...even better!

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Vermont
    When you tell them you're about to become the new Athletic Director, Oz, they'll sing a different tune!

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Cary, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by OZZIE4DUKE View Post
    Somewhere on the DBR, possibly in an article on the main page, someone publicized [COLOR=#000000][FONT=&quot]Bob Lefkowitz’s memoir and said those who per-ordered the book would receive a signed book jacket. Sounded cool to me! I did that, got the book a few weeks later after release and then got a "sticker" in the mail with his signature on it. Not a signed book jacket, but a sticker. Gee, that's wonderful (NOT!).

    Do you recommend the book? Even without a sticker...

    The reviews on Amazon look good.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Watching carolina Go To HELL!
    Quote Originally Posted by jlear View Post
    Do you recommend the book? Even without a sticker...

    The reviews on Amazon look good.
    Honestly, I haven't looked at it yet

    However, I did get a personal response from Dr. Lefkowitz, and I am a happy camper!
    Dear Larry So sorry to hear that you were disappointed with the bookplate. Your is the first such complaint we have heard. The offer on DBR was entirely explicit and clear: “Anyone from the Duke community who wants a signed copy of their book can place a pre-order and then email proof-of-purchase plus shipping address information to Icee Li (yl703@duke.edu). You will receive a bookplate signed by Dr. Lefkowitz, which can be inserted into your book to create a signed copy. This special promotion for members of the Duke community is available only for pre-orders.”This is really the best we can do during the pandemic. During a normal year I would be holding in-person signing events on the Duke campus but this is unfortunately not possible right now. When the pandemic is over (say, sometime later this year or next year) feel free to stop by my lab on the Duke campus and I’d be pleased to sign the book for you in person.BestBOBRobert J. Lefkowitz, MD
    I have invited him as my guest to our TB'CC tailgate in September (assuming we have tailgates this fall...!)
    Ozzie, your paradigm of optimism!

    Go To Hell carolina, Go To Hell!
    9F 9F 9F
    https://ecogreen.greentechaffiliate.com

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