One of the most interesting and provocative papers published by Tom Alber is this gem:
The role of mobility in the substrate binding and catalytic machinery of enzymes.
This pdf includes the article and a transcript of the fun discussion that followed Greg Petsko’s presentation, featuring Tom Steitz, Hans Frauenfelder, Johann Deisenhofer, Martin Karpus and others.
A few people have asked me for this paper - because it is hard to find in print and doesn’t seem to be freely available online - so I thought I would post my scan of a hardcopy!
The Fraser Lab has a new website! It should be much nicer for viewing on small screens.
We celebrated Lillian, the founding member of the Fraser Lab, at the ramp. She was as sad to leave as we were to see here go:
Liz really outdid herself with some fantastic LCakes:
That were devoured by LCakes herself:
Yummy:
We will miss Lillian tremendously. But, we take some solace in the fact that she isn’t going far. As a student in iPQB in the fall, she can take advantage of a new slide advancer/laser pointer and some “unrestricted” shopping funds:
I can’t believe it has been a week. Tom was my mentor and one of my dearest friends. Tom fought a long battle with what was eventually diagnosed as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
During the last few years, he showed an incredibly positive spirit as he spent time with friends, colleagues, and family - especially his three children, Josh, Emily, and Mackenzie. Tom loved the outdoors and would often show us pictures of backpacking trips in Tuolumne meadows. He treasured his final trip to Yosemite last fall. He was a scientific force, crafting manuscripts right up until the end. I will miss his optimistic spirit about science and life, and I will always be proud to be part of Team Alber.
UC Berkeley Obituary
Consider making a donation to establish an infectious disease lectureship in Tom’s name at UC Berkeley
Ben Barad will be rotating with us this quarter - welcome Ben!
