Joan Betz
Regis University Lecturer of the Year

After the Reception, 16 of us gathered for dinner at a local restaurant. Guests included family (Joan, Bill, Emmy - Jen and Dan were out of town - sister Sharon, Dave Swartz), Regis colleagues (Marie-Do Franco and Mike Ghedotti), and friends (Katie Robb, Fran & Lew Pizer, Honora & John Caldwell, Kathryn Howell, Angie Ribera, Terri & Steve Fadul)

Joan Loveday earned her B.A. in Biology from Oberlin College in Ohio and, as Joan Loveday Betz, an M.S. in Microbiology from Yale University, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from University College London, London, UK, and completed post-doctoral research in Molecular Biology at the University of Colorado Denver (UCD). She joined the Regis community in 1990, bringing expertise and equipment for molecular biology laboratories, and received Regis' first National Institutes of Health research grant. Dr. Betz teaches courses for both biology majors and non-science students, the Regis core freshman seminar, and diverse upper-division biology courses. She serves as Regis' pre-medical advisor, and is the chairperson of the Biology Department.

In addition to her Regis appointment as Professor of Biology, she holds an adjoint appointment as Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at UCD.

Joan has always considered participation in research to be essential for effective teaching of modern biology. Her research focuses on fundamental questions of regulation of gene expression, how cells choose which genes to express and when, and she utilizes experiments with model genetic systems of simple organisms to investigate protein-DNA and protein-protein interactions. Her specific research subjects have included the Pseudomonas aeruginasa amidase in London; the Escherichia coli lactose repressor-operator, and the Herpes simplex virus ICP4 protein in Denver; and nuclear hormone receptors in Heidelberg, Germany and Nijmegen, the Netherlands. She currently collaborates with Professor Judith Jaehning at UCD, studying regulation by the Pafl/RNA polymerase II complex in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae; these projects include Regis undergraduate students.

Her presentation, "Adventures in Genetics: Research with Model Systems," is a tale of one woman's personal and scientific journey. The lecture will highlight some of the people, places, and genetic research systems that have played significant roles during the career of Dr. Joan Betz.