Cathy Drennan Biography
Associate Professor of ChemistryMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Building 16 Room 573A, 77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
Office: (617) 253-5622; Fax: (617) 258-7847 cdrennan@mit.edu
Cathy Drennan BiographyAssociate Professor of ChemistryMassachusetts Institute of Technology Building 16 Room 573A, 77 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 Office: (617) 253-5622; Fax: (617) 258-7847 cdrennan@mit.edu |
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Cathy Drennan an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry at MIT. Her research interests lie at the interface of inorganic and biological chemistry. Topics studied include metalloenzymes involved in DNA biosynthesis and environmental remediation. Enzymes that may have contributed to life before oxygen, such as the carbon monoxide dehydrogenase, are also studied in partial collaboration with the NASA affiliated Penn State Astrobiology Research Center.
Cathy grew up in the New York/New Jersey area and received her A.B. in chemistry from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York in 1985. Studying with Professor Miriam Rossi at Vassar College, Cathy became intersted in X-ray crystallography while examining the relationship between the three-dimensional structure of commonly used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and the side-effects of drug administration. After college, Cathy taught high school science for three years at Scattergood Friends School, a small Quaker boarding school/hog farm in Iowa. Cathy received her Ph.D. in 1995 with Martha Ludwig at the University of Michigan where Cathy investigated how proteins bind vitamin B 12. Her postdoctoral studies were carried out in the laboratory of Douglas C. Rees at the California Institute of Technology before starting at MIT in July of 1999.
Cathy's awards include the American Chemical Society Award for Excellence in Analytical Chemistry (1985), the Olive M. Lammert Prize for Excellence in the Study of Chemistry (1985), the Adam A. & Mary J. Christman Fellowship for Outstanding Scholarship in Biochemistry (1990), the University of Michgan Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award (1991-1992), the Dziewiatkowski Award for Outstanding Ph.D. Dissertation in Biochemistry (1996), the University of Michigan Distinguished Dissertation Award (1996), the Surdna Foundation Research Award (2000), the Searle's Scholar Award (2001), Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) (2002), ASBMB-Schering-Plough Research Institute Scientific Achievement Award (2003), Alfred P. Sloan Fellow (2003-present), Dean's Educational & Student Advising Award (2004). and Harold E. Edgerton Faculty Achievement Award (2004).
Involved in education issues, Cathy is on the editorial board of the journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education. She teaches freshmen chemistry (5.111) and Practical Macromolecular Crystallography (5.78).