Pierson wins Spector Prize

Pierson

Each year, the Department of Biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis awards a prize to a graduating senior in memory of Marion Smith Spector, a 1938 graduate who studied zoology under the late Viktor Hamburger, PhD.

This year, Will Pierson has won the prize.

The Spector Prize, first awarded in 1974, recognizes academic excellence and outstanding undergraduate achievement in research. Students are nominated by their research mentors for outstanding research that has made substantial contributions to a field.

Pierson worked in the lab of Hani Zaher, PhD, assistant professor of biology. His thesis was titled “Release Factor Methylation: a Mechanism for Kinetic Uniformity in Translation Termination.”

After graduation, Pierson will work in technical services at Epic Systems Inc. in Madison, Wis.