|
Rosalind Franklin Award
|
Award Purpose
Just as Rosalind Franklin paved the way for women in the biotechnology field, the BIO Rosalind Franklin Award will be presented to a pioneering woman in the agriculture and 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, by honoring those women who too have made significant contributions in agriculture and environmental biotechnology. Through Rosalind Franklin’s use of X-ray diffraction images, the true double helix structure of DNA was discovered. Indeed, it was with the help of Franklin’s images and writings that 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.”
With this award we hope to not only honor Rosalind Franklin’s legacy but honor those women who have also shown exemplary leadership and led the way through previously uncharted territory.
With this award we hope to not only honor Rosalind Franklin’s legacy but honor those women who have also shown exemplary leadership and led the way through previously uncharted territory.
Nominee Criteria
Nominees should be visionaries, exhibit leadership qualities, and have pioneered efforts and innovations in agriculture, food systems, energy, and biobased manufacturing and applicants should demonstrate significant innovative contributions in a field integral to the advancement of the bioeconomy. Women in both business and academia are eligible to receive this award. Nomination forms should highlight contributions to the important goal of using biotech and innovation to develop sustainable, biobased value-chains.
Nomination Process
Nominations will be accepted until Friday, July 29, 2022 at 5:00 PM EST.
A selection committee will review the nominations and announce the award recipient in July.
Recipient will accept the award in-person at the 2022 Impact Agriculture & Environment Conference in Omaha, NE.