Claire M. Fraser facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Claire M Fraser
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| Born | 1955 (age 69–70) |
| Nationality | American |
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| Scientific career | |
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| Institutions | University of Maryland, Baltimore |
| Thesis | Autoantibodies and monoclonal antibodies to ℓgbℓs-adrenergic receptors : their role in receptor characterization and human physiology (1981) |
Claire M. Fraser (born in 1955) is an American scientist. She studies genomes and microbiology, focusing on tiny living things like bacteria. Her work helps us understand how different tiny creatures live and change over time.
She leads the Institute for Genome Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. She also teaches at the university. From 2019 to 2021, she was a leader for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). This is a big group for scientists.
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Early Life and School
Claire Fraser grew up in Saugus, MA, near Boston, MA. Her parents were a school principal and a teacher. She was a good student and always loved learning new things.
She became very interested in science after taking biology in high school. Later, at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), she did her own research in a science lab during her last year.
Education
Claire Fraser earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Biology, from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1977.
She then went on to get her Ph.D. degree in Pharmacology. She earned this from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1981.
Career in Science
Dr. Fraser has written over 300 scientific papers. Her work has been mentioned by other scientists more than 50,000 times. She has also helped edit four books and served on the boards of nine science magazines. She holds many patents for her inventions and discoveries.
Studying Genomes
From 1998 to 2007, Dr. Fraser was the president of The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR). This institute is in Rockville, MD. She led teams that figured out the complete genetic maps (genomes) of bacteria and parasites. Her team also mapped the genome of the first plant, called Arabidopsis thaliana.
In 1995, Dr. Fraser was part of a team that made a huge breakthrough. They were the first to map the full genome of a free-living organism. This was Haemophilus influenzae, a bacterium that can cause infections in children.
In 2007, Dr. Fraser joined the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She became the director of their new Institute for Genome Sciences.
Solving Mysteries with DNA
Dr. Fraser's work was very important in 2001 during the Amerithrax investigation. This was when anthrax spores were sent through the mail. She found tiny changes in the anthrax DNA. These changes helped the FBI trace the material back to where it came from. This event helped create a new field called "microbial forensics." This is about using tiny living things to solve crimes.
Dr. Fraser is an expert in this area. She also thinks about how scientific discoveries can be used for both good and bad purposes.
Understanding Human Health
Her current research is part of the Human Microbiome Project. She studies how the tiny living things in our gut change when people have diseases. These diseases include obesity (being very overweight) and inflammatory bowel disease. She also looks at how these tiny communities react to things like vaccinations and probiotics.
Advising and Leading
Dr. Fraser has been an editor for several science journals. These include mBio, Journal of Bacteriology, and Microbial Genomics (journal).
She also served on the Board of Directors for Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD). This is a large company that makes medical technology.
Awards and Honors
Dr. Fraser has received many awards for her important work. Some of these include:
- 2002 Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award
- 2004 AAAS Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
- 2005 Promega Biotechnology Award
- 2006 Charles Thom Award
- 2010 Maryland Women's Hall of Fame
- 2011 Elected into the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies
- 2015 Dean's Endowed Professor in the School of Medicine
Personal Life
Since 2013, Claire Fraser has been married to Jack Kammer. He is an author. Dr. Fraser has owned several standard poodles. One of them, named Shadow, even had its genome sequenced!
