On May 25th, 2019, we will gather together in Amherst to celebrate Lila Gierasch’s lifetime of science, her collaborative spirit and her role in shaping our lives as scientists and problem solvers. (See a profile in the Scientist on the occasion of the anniversary of her inauguration as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Biological Chemistry).

We all know Lila from different stages of her career, but she has left her mark on all of us. Perhaps you were there in the very beginning, in her first-ever lab at Amherst College in the 70s, where she pushed boundaries as the first female faculty member in math and science at the newly co-ed school. Or maybe you crossed paths with her in the Chemistry Department at the University of Delaware, where she began her work on signal sequences and rose to Full Professor by her mid-thirties. Some of you may have met Lila first at UT Southwestern, where she jumped into the world of protein folding and molecular chaperones surrounded by Nobel Laureates past and future. Others may have been inspired to spin together the worlds of chemistry, biology and biophysics with Lila at the University of Massachusetts.

No matter the time or the location or the stage in your career, it is very likely that your time with Lila had great influence on you, and your career options and choices. She has tirelessly pursued fundamental questions in biology, finding the right tools and the right collaborators to help answer those questions. Along the way, she has inspired us with her passion and dedication to the highest scientific ideals.

Come join in celebrating her lifelong spirit of discovery with us this Spring. Please follow the link above to register your attendance. We would love to hear from all of you!