A lasting legacy: Ronald Paque Scholarships in Microbiology / Immunology

Ronald Paque is deeply committed to supporting higher education for young people interested in scientific research. An accomplished microbiology and immunology researcher and a dedicated educator, he aspires to continue his contributions to the field by assisting future generations of scientists through the Ronald Paque Undergraduate Scholarship in Microbiology/Immunology and the Ronald Paque Graduate Student Scholarship in Microbiology/Immunology.

The undergraduate scholarship is available to full-time junior or senior undergraduate students. Students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents majoring in microbiology or immunology, with a minimum GPA of 3.5 or higher. Preference is given to exceptional students with a demonstrated commitment to bacteriology, parasitology, mycology, immunology, virology, microbial physiology or microbial genetics.

The graduate scholarship is open to full-time microbiology or immunology graduate students in their second year or later. They must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. Preference will be given to exceptional students with a demonstrated commitment to pursuing an active research career and those with peer-reviewed publications.

Paque believes aspiring scientists must be prepared to think outside the box.

"I want them to think critically, analytically, and to constantly question the established dogma, for it can be in error," he said. "My own studies with RNA molecules able to transmit immunological information across species barriers and within species were considered highly controversial at the time. However, the Nobel Prizes in Medicine in 2018 and 2021 were direct outgrowths of my work 40 years earlier."

Dedicated to discovery

Image

Paque's scientific career began at the University of Wisconsin (UW) Oshkosh, where he graduated with honors in 1960 with a bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry. He continued his education at UW Madison, obtaining a master's degree in bacteriology, followed by a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Arizona.

Paque proceeded to work at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, subsequently receiving an NIH Post-doctoral Fellowship at the University of Illinois School of Medicine in Chicago. There, he was appointed to the faculty in the Department of Microbiology / Immunology. After teaching and research at the University of Illinois, Paque became a professor of microbiology at the University of Texas (UT) Health Science Center Medical School in San Antonio.

His science in transfection of immune cells with RNA molecules across species barriers led to his being invited to the Second International Congress on RNA in Molecular Biology in Peking, China. Held in 1980, he shared a scientific program with no less than five Nobel Prize winners in medicine. He was one of only 23 American scientists invited to the conference.

In addition to his work with RNA molecules, Paque studied the immunoregulation of a myocarditic heart disease utilizing immunoglobulin idiotypes as probes for examining the immune cell dynamics in the development and pathophysiology of the disease process, and published multiple papers defining this process. He also published papers on human transfer factor and infectious diseases.

Paque has served on numerous university and national committees, including an NIH Grant Review study section, and was a member of four National Scientific Societies and a reviewer of multiple major peer-reviewed academic journals. He has also been elected to numerous undergraduate and graduate honor societies.

In his years of teaching, Paque has found that research in biological science offers a wonderful opportunity for students to relate and study phylogenetic evolution in terms of life on this planet and to come away with a strong appreciation for evolution and how this elegant theory plays within the biological sciences. He is proud and humbled that a large majority of the students he has trained have gone on with their own research careers, and yet he still sees the mark of the thinking that he was striving to inculcate in their minds.

Through his commitment to his chosen field of study and his generous contribution to nurturing the education of budding scientists, Paque has created a legacy of supporting scientific discovery and exploration through critical thinking and questioning the status quo. His belief in - and support of - the education of young researchers will allow them to use their creativity and imagination, as he did, to make novel discoveries and propel the field of microbiology research into the future.

Supporting the scientists of tomorrow

Paque's generous bequest has already begun to leave a lasting legacy on promising young scientists, including scholarship recipient Benjamin Wallace. "This scholarship will help me continue my higher education and support me in completing my undergraduate degree in microbiology," he said. "It will help me as a laboratory assistant in the UA Genetics Core. I'm excited about my future career and incredibly grateful for his kindness and support in helping me reach my goals."

Alyson Placko, another scholarship recipient, conveyed similar sentiments. "I am sincerely grateful for the Ronald Paque Undergraduate Scholarship in Microbiology/Immunology," she said. "Being awarded this scholarship enables me to continue being a full-time student and focus entirely on my education and research. The teaching and experiences that I am gaining from my time at the U of A are invaluable to me and my future hope to continue my interest in virology. With the scholarship's support, I can complete my undergraduate degree, which I intend to use as a foundation to complete a master's degree or a Ph.D. and continue contributing to the scientific community."

If you'd like to support the Ronald Paque Undergraduate Scholarship in Microbiology / Immunology, contributions can be made online to help continue Paque's legacy and impact future microbiology students.

If you're interested in establishing a more personal legacy, creating a named endowment is also an option, offering lasting support tailored to your own philanthropic vision.

To learn more, please contact Nick Pierson, College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences Director of Development at npierson@arizona.edu or (520) 621-9018.