Baltimore, MD As the discoverer of calcium sparks, Dr. W. Jonathan Lederer, is used to surprising results but the March 3, 2007 party in his honor was truly a big surprise (he arrives with his wife, right). He thought he was going to dinner with a few friends and former laboratory fellows who were in town for the annual Biophysical Society meeting. Little did he know that nearly 130 friends, colleagues, and current and former students, staff, and fellows, as well as his wife and two daughters, had come together to celebrate the sixty years since his birth, the thirty years since his first paper, and the nearly 15 years since the discovery of calcium sparks, which has revolutionized the way calcium signaling in heart is studied.

The event entitled Sparks in the Night: Currents, Calcium, and Confocals featured sparking nametags and fiber optic decorations to remind participants of the light based techniques that Dr. Lederer has pioneered in his efforts to understand heart function and the underlying causes of heart disease. The evening featured the Amazing Pepe, aka Dr. Jose Puglisi, in real life a researcher at Loyola University, Chicago, and reminiscences from various stages of Dr. Lederer's career. From Dr. Richard Tsien, his graduate advisor, to Dr. Jennie Hunter-Cevera, his current boss, the stories and events that have shaped Dr. Lederer's remarkable career both inspired and amused the guests.

To commemorate the event, a laser-etched crystal display piece, presented by Dr. Hunter-Cevera (right), combined the frontispiece from Dr. Lederer's first publication in 1986, which announced the discovery of a new cardiac current; the frontispiece from the 1993 paper on the discovery of calcium sparks; and an illustration of a three dimensional reconstruction of a calcium spark, as well as the name and date of the event.

The organizing committee of Dr. David Eisner, University of Manchester; Dr. Mark Nelson, University of Vermont; and Dr. Peace Cheng, University of Peking, were helped by Dr. Lederer's Assistant, Pamela Wright, in both getting the message out to colleagues and keeping it a secret from the guest of honor.

Sponsors were also most generous in supporting the effort, especially Carl Zeiss, Inc, the Totman Trust, and UMBI. Proceeds from the event will be used to support Dr. Lederer's cardiac research.

The dinner web site, www.umbi.umd.edu/~mbc/sparks has pictures of the event, as well as a pdf version of the program.

Written by Pamela Wright