Sprigg wins international prize for undergrad-authored research article

Lyndsay Sprigg (BSc 2009 Biochemistry and Microbiology) in November received the prestigious International North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) research award, presented to an undergraduate who was first author in an important publication during the previous year. She was primary author of “Interaction of daunomycin with acetylated chromatin,” published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry—the most cited and highest-impact journal in medicinal chemistry—and co-authored by UVic’s Dr. Juan Ausio (her honours thesis supervisor) and Francis Choy. Sprigg received the highest ratings from the adjudicating committee in her category and was given the top award. After graduation, Sprigg continued her research with the BC Cancer Agency in Vancouver for a year and is currently studying medicine at the UBC Kelowna campus. The NRW Research Schools, which bestow the award, were founded as an initiative of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. International networks of renowned scientists, world leading supervisors and excellent scientific environments, the NRW Research Schools provide a forum for pre-doctoral candidates with superior academic track records.