BIO Extends its Nomination Deadline for the Second Annual Rosalind Franklin Award
Washington, D.C. (February 27, 2015) – The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) has officially extended its deadline for the Rosalind Franklin Award for Leadership in Industrial Biotechnology. In its second year, the BIO Rosalind Franklin Award was created to honor an outstanding woman in the field of industrial biotechnology and bioprocessing. The Rosalind Franklin Society will sponsor the 2015 BIO Rosalind Franklin Award which will be presented at the 2015 World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology to be held July 19-22, 2015 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal in Montréal, Canada.
“Watson and Crick are generally recognized for discovering the structure of DNA while the accomplishments of Dr. Franklin are too often overlooked. This award was created to help carry on the legacy of Rosalind Franklin who not only aided in the expansion of biotechnology but also helped pave the way for women in the field,” said Brent Erickson, executive vice president for BIO’s Industrial & Environmental Section.
Rosalind Franklin’s use of X-ray diffraction images led to the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA in 1953. Her images of the double helix and measurements of a single unit were the data used by Watson and Crick to create the model for DNA, which later earned them a Nobel Prize in 1962. The discovery of the structure of DNA was the single most important advance of modern biology.
The Rosalind Franklin Society is an honorific, interdisciplinary, and international society which recognizes, fosters, and advances the important contributions of women in the life sciences and affiliated disciplines. In so doing, the Society honors the under-recognized achievements of the late Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958). To celebrate the life, work, and symbolic power of this remarkable heroine in science, the Society recognizes the work of outstanding women scientists, fosters greater opportunities for women in the sciences, and motivates and educates by examples young generations of women who have this calling.
More information about the nomination process is available at https://www.bio.org/events/conferences/nominate-leader-industrial-biotechnology. The deadline for nominations has been extended to March 5, 2015. 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.
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 www.bio.org/worldcongress. For assistance, please contact worldcongress@bio.org.