Writer: Kathleen Phillips, 979-845-2872, ka-phillips@tamu.edu Contact: Dr. Dorothy Shippen, 979-862-2342, dshippen@tamu.edu

COLLEGE STATION Dr. Dorothy Shippen, professor of biochemistry and biophysics, has received the Texas AgriLife Research Senior Faculty Fellow Award.

The faculty fellows program, created in 1998, recognizes people who have contributed to the scholarly creation and dissemination of new knowledge through exceptional research leadership and grantsmanship.

Professors and associate professors in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University who hold a joint appointment with AgriLife Research are eligible for the senior faculty fellow honor and $5,000 award.

Shippen was honored with Dr. Del Gatlin, fisheries researcher, and Dr. Bruce McCarl, agricultural economist, both of whom also received Senior Faculty Fellow awards, and with Dr. Binayak Mohanty, who was named Faculty Fellow.

I am extremely proud of these scientists whose studies have brought great advances in their fields and to the benefit of the public and our agency, said Dr. Craig Nessler, AgriLife Research director. Their scientific endeavors are yielding results that positively impact people in our state, nation and world.

Shippens studies on telomerase an enzyme which has special significance to aging and cancer research, led to 16 scientific papers being published in the last five years, according to her nomination. Among the journals that have published her research are Nature, Science and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

Dr. Shippen rapidly carved a unique scientific niche for herself, as she is now unquestionably the worlds expert in this subfield of telomerase research, said Dr. Greg Reinhart, Texas A&M department of biochemistry and biophysics chair. The excitement derives not just from the important implication of her work for plant science, but also because this model organism, despite being a plant, is in many ways a better model of mammalian telomerase behavior than the more commonly studied organisms.

The citation noted that Shippen is frequently invited to speak at major scientific conferences and is known for her rigorous but popular teaching ability in college courses such as molecular biology and for her involvement in numerous scientific associations.

Shippen earned her bachelors in biology in 1982 from Auburn University and her doctorate in biology in 1987 from the University of Alabama.

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Shippen honored as Faculty Fellow by Texas AgriLife Research