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The Morris Smithberg
Memorial Prize
Dr. Morris Smithberg grew up in New York
and received his doctoral degree in zoology from the University
of Rochester. After working in a research position at Cold Springs
Harbor Laboratories in Maine and a as a faculty member at the
University of Florida, Dr. Smithberg joined the University of
Minnesota faculty in 1960. He was a faculty member in the Department
of Anatomy (later Cell Biology and Neuroanatomy) until his retirement
in 1987. He was the Interim Head of the Department from 1975-1977
and the Director of Graduate Studies for a number of years.
During Dr. Smithberg's term of leadership the Graduate Program
flourished. He was an intelligent, enthusiastic and generous
leader. He taught and directed the Neuroanatomy class for medical
students throughout much of his career. Dr. Smithberg was an
excellent teacher. He was known for his ability to make complex
anatomical concepts clear and easy to grasp, devising a number
of unique props and teaching aids that graphically represented
the material and delighted students. His ability to teach, coupled
with his kindness and wit, made him a favorite of medical, dental,
and graduate students. He received the Teacher of the Year Award
on several occasions. He loved teaching and continued to teach
part time in Human Neuroscience and Gross Anatomy even after
his retirement in 1987. Dr. Smithberg's primary research interest
was in chemically induced teratogenesis. His work helped establish
the effects of methyl mercury on the development of the nervous
system. For many years, Dr. Smithberg was the Editor of the
journal Teratology. As a graduate advisor and mentor, Dr. Smithberg
trained a number of outstanding scientists, including Drs. Robert
Elde and Al Beitz who are current faculty members at the University
of Minnesota.
The Morris Smithberg Memorial Prize is presented annually to
the outstanding first year student in the Graduate Program in
Neuroscience. The Prize is awarded to the student who has the
best performance in the first year core courses and on the comprehensive
written exam given at the end of the first year. The Prize is
presented to the recipient before a large group of neuroscientists
at a Neuroscience Colloquium each fall. The Prize includes a
plaque for the student, the addition of the recipient's name
to the permanent plaque on display in the lobby of the Basic
Science/ Biomedical Engineering Building and a check for $2000.
The funds can be used by the recipient for any item of equipment,
training or travel that will improve the recipient's graduate
career.
The Graduate Program of Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota
expresses their profound gratitude to Dr. Jacques and Mrs. Rose
Wachtel for their on-going generous support of the Morris Smithberg
Prize. |
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Smithberg Memorial Prize Winners
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2007 - Tiffany Schmidt
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