Harvard-Educated Neurobiologist, Co-Inventor of Revolutionary Medical Research Device, Involved with Mass Shooting?
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Via: Boston Globe:
The University of Alabama biology professor accused of slaying three of her colleagues fatally shot her brother in Massachusetts more than two decades ago, a local police chief said today, while at the same time raising troubling questions about how the long-ago incident was handled.
The Boston Globe reported at the time that Amy Bishop had accidentally shot her 18-year-old brother, Seth M. Bishop, an accomplished violinist who had won a number of science awards, in Braintree.
Braintree Police Chief Paul Frazier confirmed today at a news conference that Amy Bishop had shot her brother in 1986. But Frazier offered a different account of the shooting, saying Bishop had shot her brother during an argument and was being booked by police when the chief at the time ordered the booking process stopped and Bishop released to her mother.
Frazier said he was basing his statements on the memories of one of his officers who was on the department at the time and had arrested Bishop. He said the records from the case have been missing since at least 1988.
“I don’t want to use the word ‘coverup’ … but this does not look good,” he said.
Then-Police Chief John Polio told the Globe in 1986 that Bishop had asked her mother, Judith, in the presence of her brother how to unload a round from the chamber of a 12-gauge shotgun.
Polio told the Globe that while Amy Bishop was handling the weapon, it fired, wounding Seth Bishop in the abdomen. He was pronounced dead at a hospital 46 minutes after the Dec. 6, 1986 shooting.
“Every indication at this point in time leads us to believe it was an accidental shooting,” Polio said at the time.
In an interview at his home this afternoon, Polio, 87, said, “There was no coverup.” He said he followed all department procedures and then-District Attorney William Delahunt’s office conducted an inquiry and the decision was made not to file charges.
Polio at times fumbled over names and did not remember some details of the case. He was not aware until told by reporters that Bishop was accused of the shootings in Alabama.
Delahunt, who is now a US representative, could not immediately be reached for comment this afternoon.
But Frazier said the media had been fed an incorrect story. He said that there was an argument at the home on Hollis Avenue and Amy Bishop had fired three shots, including the fatal one, then fled the house and pointed the shotgun at a motorist in an attempted carjack. She was then arrested at gunpoint by officers.
In Friday’s shooting, Bishop, 42, a Harvard-educated neurobiologist, allegedly shot and killed three of her colleagues and wounded three others in an apparent tenure dispute at the Huntsville campus, the Associated Press reports.
—End Update—
Update: UAH Launches Space Experiment
Via: The Exponent:
At exactly 8:07am on Saturday, March 7th, a two-month-long project was successfully off the ground and into the air. The Colleges of Science, Nursing, and Engineering all worked together to launch a balloon that carried a payload of nerve cells into space, measuring how they are affected by radiation in the atmosphere. A couple dozen students and spectators watched the enormous 2kg balloon as it made its journey above the atmosphere.
Organizing three different colleges to collaborate on one project is no small feat, but the success of this experiment proves it can be done. “It’s hard to get biologists and engineers to work together!” remarked case manager Alwin Heuer. The College of Nursing funded the project, the MAE Department’s Space Hardware Club constructed the balloon assembly, and Amy Bishop of the biology lab provided the nerve cells.
A unique aspect of this project includes the payload itself. Before this experiment, there was no way to transport living cells in a portable environment. James Anderson, owner of Cherokee Lab Systems and creator of the cell drive transporter, combined all his knowledge of electrical and computer engineering and biology to invent the device. “It wasn’t easy to create, and I’ve been working on it for a while, and this experiment gave me a reason to finish it.” The device is patent-pending.
After the balloon was set loose, a team of chasers immediately jumped into their vehicles to pursue the balloon via a GPS tracking system. It reached a height of 99,000 feet (18.75 miles), and eventually parachuted down northeast of Chattanooga. Everything was intact on recovery, and the cell drive transporter performed its job perfectly. When taken back to the lab, many of the cells were dead, and the next step is to grow the living ones and see how they react.
“We love working with MAE guys, and we couldn’t have done this without them!” says Nursing Professor Lynx McClellan after the payload was recovered. “Now we’re excited to work with the Biology Department to study the cells.”
—End Update—
Update: Bishop’s Lab Was Developing a “Neural Computer”
Via: Google Cache of Bishop’s University of Alabama Bio Page:
My laboratory’s goal will be to continue in our effort to develop a neural computer, the Neuristor™, using living neurons. This computer will exploit all of the advantages of neurons. Specifically, neurons rich with the nitric oxide (NO) dependent learning receptor, N Methyl D Aspartate receptor (NMDAR), will be utilized. These have previously been studied in the context of induced adaptive resistance to NO (IAR). For the Neuristor™ we will take advantage of the IAR phenomena since it has been demonstrated that IAR neurons express more learning and memory receptors (NMDAR) as well as increased neurite outgrowth. The neurons that we are currently using are mammalian motor neurons. We are exploring the possibility of using neurons derived from adult stem cells, and from bony fishes provided by Bruce Stallsmith Ph.D. This laboratory has created a portable cell culture incubator, the Cell Drive™ that is an ideal support structure for the Neuristor™.
—End Update—
Update: Professor Allegedly Opens Fire on Co-workers After Not Receiving Tenure
Via: WHNT:
Dr. Amy Bishop, the suspect in Friday afternoon’s shooting inside UAHuntsville’s Shelby Building, is in police custody. The biology professor, who is in her 40’s, was detained after she allegedly entered a biology department faculty meeting Friday afternoon and opened fire on co-workers. Multiple sources have stated that Dr. Bishop was notified Friday morning she would not be receiving tenure and that this may have served as the catalyst in Friday’s tragedy.
Dr. Bishop received her doctorate from Harvard University’s Department of Genetics and came to UAHuntsville in the fall of 2003 as an assistant professor of biology. UAHuntsville’s website listed her courses taught as:
BYS 313: Anatomy & Physiology 1
BYS 314: Anatomy & Physiology 2
BYS 400/600: Introduction to Neuroscience
Special Topics 691: Mechanisms of resistance to oxidative stress in the CNS
Special Topics 692: Research
She also conducted numerous research projects focused on molecular biology of oxidative stress, neurobiology, neuroengineering and induced adaptive resistance and has been cited in multiple publications.
Dr. Bishop’s husband, Jim Anderson, was also taken in for questioning. He is reportedly the owner/chief science officer of Cherokee Labsystems in Huntsville. One online business profile site lists Cherokee Lab Systems as a private company categorized under Telephone Services and located in Huntsville, AL. Current estimates show this company has an annual revenue of $120,000 and employs a staff of approximately 3.
Friday evening, two Huntsville Police cruisers were stationed outside the couple’s south Huntsville home. A neighbor, Josh Hudgins, told WHNT NEWS 19 that he saw the couple around 3 p.m. Friday afternoon. Hudgins stated, “I had dropped my daughter off about 2 :30, 3:00… came back around that corner. And, they had some duffel bags sitting on the ground next to their car and the kids were playing in the street looked like they were getting ready to go on a trip maybe.”
Shortly after 4 p.m. is when Amy Bishop allegedly walked into the Shelby Center, went to the 3rd floor and started gunning down co-workers in a faculty meeting.
Huntsville Police officers questioned Dr. Bishop for more than 5 hours at the department’s south precinct. WHNT NEWS 19 cameras were camped outside the south precinct and captured video of her as officers brought her out. She remarked, “It didn’t happen. There’s no way.” WHNT NEWS 19′S Nick Banaszak asked her, “What about the people who died?” Bishop replied, “There’s no way. They’re still alive.”
Bishop is accused of killing 3 fellow biology professors. But as of Friday night, she had only been charged with one count of capital murder. Bishop could face the death penalty if convicted.
WHNT NEWS 19 is continuing to track down new information about Dr. Biship and we will continue to update this story as we confirm more information.
—End Update—
Update: “Police Said They Were Also Interviewing a Man as ‘A Person of Interest.’”
Via: CBS News:
The biology professor accused of gunning down three colleagues at the University of Alabama in Huntsville was described as “not being able to deal with reality,” by one of her victims, according to the victim’s husband.
Sammie Lee Davis, whose wife Maria Ragland Davis was killed at a faculty meeting, said his wife also described the alleged shooter, 42-year-old Amy Bishop, as “not as good as she thought she was.”
Bishop was charged Friday night with one count of capital murder, which means she could face the death penalty if convicted. Three of Bishop’s fellow biology professors were killed and three other university employees were wounded. No students were harmed in the shooting, which happened in a community known for its space and technology industries.
Several sources told CBS News affiliate WHNT-TV in Huntsville that after being denied tenure in the morning, the suspect walked into a biology department faculty meeting Friday afternoon and opened fire.
Davis said he was told those at the meeting were discussing tenure for Bishop, who had been an assistant professor since 2003. Authorities have not discussed a motive.
Dave Williams, the university’s president, said the “whole campus is in shock,” but wouldn’t speculate on a motive for the shooting.
Appearing on CBS’ “The Early Show Saturday Edition”, Williams said classes would be canceled next week and the school has not determined when they will resume.
Students offered varying assessments of Bishop.
Andrea Bennett, a sophomore majoring in nursing, described Bishop as being “very weird” and “a really big nerd.”
“She’s well-known on campus, but I wouldn’t say she’s a good teacher. I’ve heard a lot of complaints,” Bennett said. “She’s a genius, but she really just can’t explain things.”
Bennett, an athlete at UAH, said her coach told her team Bishop had been denied tenure and that may have led to the shooting.
Amanda Tucker, a junior nursing major from Alabaster, Ala., had Bishop for anatomy class about a year ago. Tucker said a group of students complained to a dean about Bishop’s performance in the classroom.
“When it came down to tests, and people asked her what was the best way to study, she’d just tell you, ‘Read the book.’ When the test came, there were just ridiculous questions. No one even knew what she was asking,” said Tucker.
But Nick Lawton, 25, described Bishop as funny and accommodating with students.
“She lectured from the textbook, mostly stuck to the subject matter at hand,” Nick Lawton said. “She seemed like a nice enough professor.”
UAH student Andrew Cole was in Bishop’s anatomy class Friday morning and said she seemed perfectly normal.
“She’s understanding, and was concerned about students,” he said. “I would have never thought it was her.”
Bishop, a neurobiologist who studied at Harvard University, was taken Friday night in handcuffs from a police precinct to the county jail and could be heard saying, “It didn’t happen. There’s no way. … They are still alive.”
Police said they were also interviewing a man as “a person of interest.”
University spokesman Ray Garner said the three killed were Gopi K. Podila, the chairman of the Department of Biological Sciences, and two other faculty members, Davis and Adriel Johnson.
Three others were wounded, two critically, in the gunfire. The wounded were identified as department members Luis Cruz-Vera, who was listed in fair condition, and Joseph Leahy, in critical condition in intensive care, and staffer Stephanie Monticello, also in critical condition in intensive care.
Sammie Lee Davis said his wife was a researcher who had tenure at the university.
Bishop and her husband placed third in a statewide university business plan competition in July 2007, presenting a portable cell incubator they had invented. They won $25,000 to help start a company to market the device.
Biology major Julia Hollis was among the students who gathered to support each other and try to make sense of the news.
“When someone told me it was a staff person and it was faculty I was in complete denial,” said Hollis, 23, who had taken classes with two of the instructors who were killed. “It took me a bit for it to sink in.”
Sophomore Erin Johnson told The Huntsville Times a biology faculty meeting was under way when she heard screams coming from a conference room.
University police secured the building and students were cleared from it. There was still a heavy police presence on campus Friday night, with police tape cordoning off the main entrance to the university.
The Huntsville campus has about 7,500 students in northern Alabama, not far from the Tennessee line. The university is known for its scientific and engineering programs and often works closely with NASA.
The space agency has a research center on the school’s campus, where many scientists and engineers from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center perform Earth and space science research and development.
The university will remain closed next week and all athletic events were canceled to give students and staff time to grieve. Counselors were available to speak with students.
It’s the second shooting in a week on an area campus. On Feb. 5, a 14-year-old student was killed in a middle school hallway in nearby Madison, allegedly by a fellow student.
Mass shootings are rarely carried out by women, said Dr. Park Dietz, who is president of Threat Assessment Group Inc., a Newport Beach, Calif.-based violence prevention firm.
A notable exception was a 1985 rampage at a Springfield, Pa., mall in which three people were killed. In June 1986, Sylvia Seegrist was deemed guilty but mentally ill on three counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder in the shooting spree.
Dietz, who interviewed Seegrist after her arrest, said it was possible the suspect in Friday’s shooting had a long-standing grudge against colleagues or superiors and felt complaints had not been dealt with fairly.
Gregg McCrary, a retired FBI agent and private criminal profiler based in Fredericksburg, Va., said there is no typical outline of a mass shooter but noted they often share a sense of paranoia, depression or a feeling that they are not appreciated.
—End Update—
UPDATE: Amy Bishop Charged with Murder in UAH Shooting
Via: al.com:
UAH professor Dr. Amy Bishop has been charged with murder in connection with a deadly shooting that killed three people and injured three more Friday afternoon.
Huntsville police spokesman Sgt. Mark Roberts said Bishop was charged Saturday morning with one count of capital murder.
Bishop, 42, was taken Friday night in handcuffs from a police precinct to the county jail and could be heard telling TV reporters, “It didn’t happen. There’s no way …. they are still alive.”
The Harvard-educated geneticist and her husband, Jim Anderson, are credited with inventing a mobile cell incubation system touted as a replacement for the old-fashioned petri dish.
UAH President David Williams predicted in November 2008 that the couple’s InQ device would “change the way biological and medical research is conducted.”
—End Update—
Via: al.com:
Dr. Amy Bishop, the assistant biology professor detained for questioning in Friday’s mass shooting, is considered one of the University of Alabama in Huntsville’s research stars.
A smiling Bishop posed for the winter 2009 cover of a local technology magazine, “The Huntsville R&D Report.”
The 40-year-old, Harvard-educated geneticist and her husband, Jim Anderson, are credited with inventing a mobile cell incubation system touted as a replacement for the old-fashioned petri dish.
UAH President David Williams predicted in November 2008 that the couple’s InQ device would “change the way biological and medical research is conducted.”
The Huntsville Angel Network also thought highly of the idea, giving Prodigy Biosystems $1.25 million in startup funding.
“She was just really passionate about what she was doing, and very energetic,” Stuart Obermann, a former board member of the BizTech technology incubator, said of Bishop. “I’m really quite shocked.”
According to her résumé, Bishop has been a “tenure track” assistant biology professor at UAH since 2003. She teaches anatomy and physiology, introduction to neuroscience and “Mechanisms of Resistance to Oxidative Stress in the Central Nervous System,” among others.
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