Award Purpose
Just as Rosalind Franklin paved the way for women in biotechnology, the BIO Rosalind Franklin Award will be presented to a pioneering woman in the agriculture and/or environmental biotechnology sectors who has made significant contributions to the advancement of the bioeconomy and biotech innovation. The Rosalind Franklin Award will stand as a lasting memory to the legacy left by Rosalind Franklin, who was instrumental in the discovery and our greater understanding of the molecular structure of DNA. Through Rosalind Franklin's use of X-ray diffraction images, the true double helix structure of DNA was discovered. Franklin's images and writings eventually led Francis Crick and James Watson to release their 1953 model of the structure of DNA. Though often overlooked, Rosalind Franklin's critical work and discovery in the field has allowed the expansive growth of the biotechnology industry to become what it is today. As said by John Desmond Bernal, a fellow X-ray crystallographer, of Franklin's crystallographic portraits of DNA, "Her photographs were among the most beautiful X-ray photographs of any substance ever taken."
This award honors Rosalind Franklin's legacy and the women who have also shown exemplary leadership, led the way through previously uncharted territory, and have made significant contributions to our industry.
