͵͵

Award

Tsin, a mentor to many,
advances diversity

He won ASBMB's Kirschstein Diversity in Science Award
Nathalie Gerassimov
April 1, 2018

, at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, has won the 2018 . The ͵͵ and ͵͵ Biology’s Minority Affairs Committee selects the winner of this award to recognize an outstanding scientist who has contributed significantly to increasing the participation of minorities in science.

“I have worked with Dr. Ruth Kirschstein for many years on NIH minority programs. I am very honored to receive this ASBMB award named after my esteemed colleague. To continue Dr. Kirschstein’s outstanding accomplishments in diversity initiatives, I will remain professionally and personally committed to increase diversity in science.”

Andrew Tsin

Tsin, an expert in retinal neurobiology, has done notable work on the biochemistry of the visual cycle throughout his career. His prolific contributions to science have resulted in more than 300 journal articles, book chapters and meeting presentations. His research has been recognized with numerous awards, such as the 2015 Gold Fellow Award by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Tsin also is known as a scientific mentor who has contributed to the advancement of diversity in science. Robert Renthal, professor of biochemistry at the University of Texas at San Antonio, wrote in his nomination letter that Tsin “has an unusual ability to inspire students who are members of groups that are underrepresented in the sciences to successfully pursue careers in science” and that Tsin has “worked tirelessly, one-on-one, with research trainees in his lab, sustained over a period of more than 30 years.” Tsin has mentored 132 graduate and undergraduate students, including 112 members of groups underrepresented in the sciences. Of these, 20 have earned a Ph.D. in the sciences and 12 have earned an M.D. or D.D.S. Tsin’s mentoring also resulted in numerous journal publications with student first authors, Renthal wrote.

Tsin’s legacy of effectively increasing diversity in science goes beyond the walls of his lab. While at UTSA, where he spent most of his career before moving to UTRGV in 2016, he founded and directed the , securing more than $52 million in grants to support research and training programs for underrepresented minorities. Additionally, he served on the board of directors of the from 2007 to 2009. Tsin’s contributions to the advancement of minorities in science earned him the for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring in 2011 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2014.

of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, chair of the ASBMB Minority Affairs Committee, said, “Dr. Tsin has all the necessary attributes that Dr. Ruth Kirschstein championed during her career: compassion, empathy, service, and dedication to diversity in science while maintaining a rigorous and exceptional research career.”

Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?

Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition weekly.

Learn more
Nathalie Gerassimov

Nathalie Gerassimov is a postdoctoral researcher at the Carnegie Institution of Washington department of embryology.

Related articles

ASBMB calls for student loan relief
Marissa Locke Rottinghaus
What’s your interest?
ASBMB Today Staff
How do we know what students know?
Daniel Dries, Jenny Loertscher & Victoria Del Gaizo Moore

Get the latest from ASBMB Today

Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.

Latest in People

People highlights or most popular articles

Guiding grocery carts to shape healthy habits
Award

Guiding grocery carts to shape healthy habits

Nov. 21, 2024

Robert “Nate” Helsley will receive the Walter A. Shaw Young Investigator in Lipid Research Award at the 2025 ASBMB Annual Meeting, April 12–15 in Chicago.

Leading the charge for gender equity
Award

Leading the charge for gender equity

Nov. 19, 2024

Nicole Woitowich will receive the ASBMB Emerging Leadership Award at the 2025 ASBMB Annual meeting, April 12–15 in Chicago.

Honors for de la Fuente, Mittag and De La Cruz
Member News

Honors for de la Fuente, Mittag and De La Cruz

Nov. 18, 2024

César de la Fuente receives the American Society of Microbiology’s Award for Early Career Basic Research. Tanja Mittag and Enrique M. De La Cruz are named fellows by the Biophysical Society.

In memoriam: Horst Schulz
In Memoriam

In memoriam: Horst Schulz

Nov. 18, 2024

He was a professor emeritus at City College of New York and at the CUNY Graduate Center in Manhattan whose work concentrated on increasing our understanding of mitochondrial fatty acid metabolism and an ASBMB member since 1971.

Computational and biophysical approaches to disordered proteins
Award

Computational and biophysical approaches to disordered proteins

Nov. 14, 2024

Rohit Pappu will receive the 2025 DeLano Award for Computational Biosciences at the ASBMB Annual Meeting, April 12-15 in Chicago.

Join the pioneers of ferroptosis at cell death conference
In-person Conference

Join the pioneers of ferroptosis at cell death conference

Nov. 13, 2024

Meet Brent Stockwell, Xuejun Jiang and Jin Ye — the co-chairs of the ASBMB’s 2025 meeting on metabolic cross talk and biochemical homeostasis research.