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UNC’s First Nobel Laureate Oliver Smithies Has Died At 91

WUNC | By Laura Pellicer,

Frank Stasio

Published January 12, 2017 at 12:28 PM EST

Oliver Smithies at the ceremony immediately after the announcement that he had won a Nobel Prize.

Oliver Smithies at the ceremony immediately after the announcement that he had won a Nobel Prize.

He was known for his work ethic, his humility, and also for his immense contribution to the field of genetics. Oliver Smithies, professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, was the first full-time faculty member at UNC Chapel Hill to win a Nobel Prize.

Smithies developed a technique which allowed mice to be used as models to target specific genes. His discoveries contributed to the understanding of cystic fibrosis along with a multitude of other diseases.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Kathleen Caron, Professor and Chair of Department of Cell Biology and Physiology at UNC at Chapel Hill and a former student of Smithies about his legacy.

Copyright 2017 North Carolina Public Radio

Laura Pellicer

Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.

See stories by Laura Pellicer

Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

See stories by Frank Stasio