Maryland Honors Its Nobel Laureate
In the State House, Del. William
J. Frank, Mary Agre, Peter Agre, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich and
Del. Susan Aumann. |
In a whirlwind visit, Peter Agre is recognized by Governor,
Senate, House
By Greg Rienzi The Gazette
The kudos keep coming for Johns Hopkins' latest Nobel
Prize winner, Peter Agre, who on March 5 received
recognition for his scientific achievement from the state
of Maryland in the form of a Governor's Citation, a Senate
Resolution and a House Resolution.
Agre was awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize in chemistry for
his laboratory's 1991 discovery of the long-sought
"channels" that regulate and facilitate water molecule
transport through cell membranes, a process essential to
all living organisms. Researchers around the world now
study aquaporins in many species of plants, bacteria and
animals and have linked aberrant water transport to a
multitude of human diseases and conditions.
The state presentations occurred in Annapolis on a day
when the governor and General Assembly were in the midst of
struggling with budget issues, the Baltimore City school
crisis, votes and hearings, but legislators took the time
to honor Agre, professor of biological chemistry at the
School of Medicine.
At the reception, Agre with Sen.
Verna Jones |
Agre and his wife, Mary, were first given a brief tour
of the Miller Senate Office Building and an informal
opportunity to meet the senators. He received the
Governor's Citation during a meeting with Gov. Ehrlich in
the State House, with delegates Susan Aumann and William J.
Frank in attendance.
Shortly after the House convened, the Agres were
called to join Speaker Mike Busch at the rostrum to be
recognized. When the resolution was read, Agre received a
standing ovation, and then he thanked the delegates for the
state's strong support of research and education.
Next, the Agres went to the Senate chamber, where Sen.
James Brochin read a resolution commending the Nobelist.
Brochin's words, too, were followed by a standing ovation
for Agre.
The visit ended in the Senate Office Building, where
members of the General Assembly and the governor's cabinet
attended an informal reception presided over by Linda
Robertson, Johns Hopkins' vice president for government,
community and public affairs.
Sen. James Brochin |
Sen. Lisa Gladden and Del. Frank
Turner |
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