The poet of prose Seamus Heaney, the best-selling poet here and in the United Kingdom, brought his down-to-earth way with words and some praise for the University to Commencement 2000. Gray skies, sunny spirits Student spotlight: From bad luck to bright future Staff Q&A: Dan Harrell swept his way to a Penn B.A. Gadfly slams the conventional wisdom Two from Hughes How to get to the top For What It's Worth: Knowledge is for healing Penn finds a better way to do business Event Listings Editor's Pick More time for fun this summer What's on WXPN Readers' Best News Briefs Appointments, Awards & Honors Campus Buzz

June 1, 2000 RESEARCH AWARD Two from Hughes BY LIBBY ROSOF Two University faculty performing research in genetics were among 48 scientists in the nation named Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigators last month, an honor that will give them long-term funding for their research and pay their salaries while allowing them to remain on the faculty. Nancy Bonini, Ph.D., whose research has the potential of leading to cures for Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, is looking for suppressor genes in fruit flies that slow or stop the advance of these kinds of diseases. The money, said Bonini, an asssistant professor of biology, will speed the work. “We can’t be fast enough,” she said. Gregory D. Van Duyne, Ph.D., is exploring how the enzyme Cre recombinase allows viruses to integrate their genomes into their hosts, information that would be helpful in creating transgenic animals used, for example, in exploring the role of genes in diseases. “It’s a tool in arranging DNA molecules,” said Van Duyne, a professor of biochemistry and biophysics.