Barry Aprison

Austin was a brilliant student in my Systems Biology class.  We met on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays in the small north conference room on the tenth floor of the Knapp Center for Biomedical Discovery.  Our views out the glass walls to the north and east were always spectacular: the city of Chicago, shiny bright in the sun and Lake Michigan ever changing in its colorful hues. There were striking varieties of dark blue, grey, and green colorations, dark shading highlights, and structural textures.  Associated with these physical vagaries about our surroundings were weather fluctuations we liked to monitor as we talked about science.  Sometimes outside it was very still.  Other times, the vistas were stormy, especially over the Lake.  I think Austin enjoyed these views.  I know I did.  They stimulated us to think deeper about the mechanisms of life.  And indeed they helped us form a more perfect learning community as a result. We enjoyed each other’s company and engaged in productive discussions about the lectures we heard and the papers we read. There was encouragement to foster insights about the subtleties of biology and how to model its complexities.  Austin was always eager to participate in these considerations.  He will be sorely missed. Austin was thoughtful, affable, and a pleasure to get to know. My condolences go out to his family, friends, and colleagues near and far.