BIO is Now Accepting Nominations for its Fourth Annual Rosalind Franklin Award
Washington, D.C. (March 08, 2017) The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) began accepting nominations for its fourth annual Rosalind Franklin Award for Leadership in Industrial Biotechnology. Each year, this award is given to an outstanding woman in the industrial biotechnology sector who has made significant contributions to the advancement of the biobased economy and biotech innovation. The 2017 BIO Rosalind Franklin Award will be presented at the 2017 World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology, which will be held July 23-26, 2017 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal in Montréal, Québec, Canada. The deadline for nominations is March 24, 2017.
Brent Erickson, Executive Vice President, Industrial and Environmental at BIO, stated, “Rosalind Franklin is an inspiration to female scientists; and yet the importance of her involvement in the discovery of DNA is often undervalued. With this award we hope to honor Rosalind Franklin’s legacy and all women who have who have defied odds and made lasting contributions to the field of biotechnology.”
Rosalind Franklin conceived and captured Photograph 51 of the "B" form of DNA in 1952, while at King's College in London. This photograph, acquired through 100 hours of X-ray exposure from a machine Dr. Franklin herself refined, revealed the structure of DNA. The discovery of the structure of DNA was the single most important advance of modern biology. James Watson and Francis Crick, working at Cambridge University, used Photograph 51 as the basis for their famous model of DNA, which earned them a Nobel Prize in 1962. Though sometimes overlooked, Rosalind Franklin’s critical work and discovery in the field has allowed the biotechnology industry to become what it is today.
More information about the nomination process is available here.
Nominees must be living individuals who exhibit leadership qualities, and have pioneered efforts in industrial biotechnology. Applicants should demonstrate significant innovative contributions in a field integral to the advancement of a biobased economy.
The Award will again be sponsored by the Rosalind Franklin Society whose goal is to support and showcase the careers of eminent women in science.
Past recipients of the Rosalind Franklin Award are
- Anna Rath, President and CEO of NexSteppe, in 2016
- Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech, in 2015
- Dr. Debbie Yavers, Director of Expression Technology, Genomics and Bioinformatics at Novozymes, in 2014
All programs at the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology are open to attendance by members of the media. Complimentary media registration is available to editors and reporters working full time for print, broadcast or web publications with valid press credentials.
For more information on the conference please visit http://www.bio.org/worldcongress. For assistance, please contact worldcongress@bio.org.
About BIO
BIO is the world's largest trade association representing biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. BIOtechNOW is BIO's blog chronicling “innovations transforming our world” and the BIO Newsletter is the organization’s bi-weekly email newsletter. Subscribe to the BIO Newsletter.
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