Keynote lecture: "Science, Technology and Medicine:  Vision of the Alpha and the Omega"

Dr. Sawyer has many hats to wear in his professional career. In addition to his leadership role in ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, he is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Department of Chemistry at the University of Massachusetts. Before working at ARIAD, Dr. Sawyer worked at two other pharmaceutical companies. At Parke-Davis/Warner-Lambert, Dr. Sawyer was a Head of the Structure-Based Design Chemistry group. At the Upjohn Company, Dr. Sawyer rose through the scientific ladder as an expert on peptide and peptidomimetic drug discovery. Dr. Sawyer has previously served as Affiliate Professor in the Department of Biological Structure and Design at the University of Washington School of Medicine and as Adjunct Associate Professor in the Interdepartmental Program on Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Michigan School of Pharmacy. 

In his current position as Vice-President of Drug Discovery, Dr. Sawyer is engaged in the discovery and development of breakthrough medicines that regulate cell signaling by small molecules created using structure-based drug design. ARIAD Pharmaceuticals is developing a comprehensive approach to the treatment of cancer by targeting protein kinases (e.g., Src, Abl, and mTor). Exemplifying key lead compounds and clinical candidates that Dr. Sawyer has championed are AP22408, AP23236, AP23451, AP23588, and AP23464. Overall, his drug discovery work has had an impact on diseases ranging from osteoporosis to immune disease (AIDS), cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and cancer. 

Dr. Sawyer has served on the editorial advisory boards of several professional journals including Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, Molecular Biotechnology, Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, and Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. He has also been an invited speaker, hosted or organized well over 60 scientific meetings or workshops. Dr. Sawyer has been extensively published with over 170 articles, reviews, monographs and books. He is an inventor of more than 40 patents, including several that encompass peptide, peptidomimetic and nonpeptide drugs that have advanced into human clinical trials. Dr. Sawyer has also been successful in achieving funding for research. As a co-principal investigator or key collaborator he has been awarded both government and industry-sponsored research funding in excess of seven million dollars.

Dr. Sawyer is from Greenbush Minnesota, a small town in northern Minnesota. He graduated in 1976 with a B.Sci. degree in Chemistry from Moorhead State University where he performed honors research projects with Dr. James Shaw (organic chemistry), Dr. Judith Strong (physical chemistry), and Dr. Duane Brummond (biochemistry). His first publication in the Journal of Organic Chemistry was from Moorhead State University. Dr. Sawyer received his Ph.D. degree in Organic Chemistry from the University of Arizona in 1981. He won an Outstanding Young Alumni Award from Moorhead State University in 1984. Dr. Sawyer is married to Constance and they have two children Thomas, 15 and Jonathon, 12.

The keynote lecture will highlight Dr. Sawyers career development that began with his undergraduate MSU experience (a personal "alpha") and some key milestones in science, technology and medicine that have impacted both Dr. Sawyer's life and humanity in a greater sense. His talk will provide a vision of what achievements are forthcoming (the "omega") and the forces that inspire such quests of mankind.

John is majoring in Elementary Education with a specialty in Math and is originally from Lisbon, ND. John is a current recipient of the MSUM Upper-class Scholarship. John is active in the national Read Across America program where he volunteers three days a week, to read with a first or second grader at the Moorhead Elementary Schools. In addition, he is a mentor to an 11 year old boy in the Moorhead Parks System mentoring program. John makes additional time to be a pre-school assistant at his son Bryan's pre-school where he accompanies the children on field trips and helps in the classroom. He also serves as WEB organizer for Education Minnesota Student Program (EMSP). John started his education at North Dakota State College of Science, Wahpeton, where he earned a degree in computer programming. He transferred to MSUM to complete his dream of teaching, and found that his previous program gave him a head start on credits earned to complete his teaching degree.  John is currently a junior, a full-time student, and living in Moorhead with his wife, Christy and their three children, Brandon (9), Bryan (5), and Briana (3).

Kimberly is from Williston, ND and is currently a Senior at MSUM dual majoring in English and Mass Communications. She enjoys working as a writing tutor on campus at The Write Site and is the co-president of Sigma Tau Delta, MSUM's English honor society which has hosted public readings and poetry slams. Kimberly is a member of the Student Advisory Board for the College of Arts and Humanities and volunteers at MSUM's Women's Center. She is the recipient of the MSUM Upperclassman Scholarship as well as scholarships from the Alumni Foundation. Kimberly will graduate in December 2003 and plans to use her education in writing and literature in the professional field.

Suzanne is originally from Glencoe, MN and is currently a senior at MSUM. She will be graduating Magna Cum Laude in May of 2003 with a Marketing degree. Suzanne was the recipient of an MSUM Dragon Scholarship along with an Upperclassman scholarship. For the past few years, she has devoted herself to her hometown community serving as a bilingual paraprofessional educator for the Migrant Headstart Program. The Migrant Headstart Program strives to better the lives of the Hispanic children and their families through providing a safe environment that fosters learning. Suzanne’s four years at MSUM have provided her with a challenging but rewarding experience that has built a strong foundation for her future success. She will be pursuing Master’s degree in Business Administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the Fall of 2003. The department of Business Administration at UNL also awarded Suzanne the Non-resident Tuition Fellowship for the duration of the two year program.

Kristen is currently a senior at MSUM majoring in Speech/Language/Hearing Science and is originally from Hawley, MN.  She enjoys being an active member of NSSLHA (National Student Speech Language Hearing Association) and currently serves on the Recruitment and Retention Committee. She also tutors undergraduate students taking SLHS courses. Over the past four years, Kristen has been an active member of Circle K, SPURS, SOC (Student Orientation Counselor), and Habitat for Humanity. She has also been involved with Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Kappa Phi. She is the recipient of the MSUM President’s Scholarship and the Upperclassman Scholarship. Kristen will graduate Summa cum Laude in May and plans to attend a graduate program in Speech-Language Pathology next fall. She hopes to work in an elementary school setting as a Speech-Language Pathologist with intentions of going on for her Ph.D. in Speech-Language Pathology. She would eventually like to teach in a university setting.